Hours after China said it does not recognise Arunachal Pradesh as part of India, New Delhi on Friday asserted that the northeastern state is its 'integral part'.

A Ministry of External Affairs spokesman said, "We have made our position on the incident (intrusion by Chinese troops into the state on June 26, 2003) clear yesterday."

India has taken up the issue of Chinese transgression through diplomatic channels with Beijing, the spokesman said.

Chinese troops had intruded in the Asaphila area of the Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh

"This is an area where there are differences in the perception of the LAC between the two sides," External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha had told the Lok Sabha.

Government sources, however, sought to play down the incident contending that India and China have a long border and such intrusions have taken place in the past since there were different perceptions of the LAC, both sides claiming certain areas to be belonging to their territory.

Sinha said the 1996 agreement between India and China on confidence building measures in the military field along the LAC in border areas contained a specific provision for the manner in which situations involving face-to-face contact between personnel and patrols of the two sides were to be handled.

"In the case in question, these provisions do not appear to have been adhered to by the Chinese side. This matter has already been taken up through diplomatic channels and a response from the Chinese side is awaited," he said.

"From time to time, on account of differences in the perception of the LAC, situations had arisen on the ground that could have been avoided if we had a common perception of the LAC."