The day before his maiden visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] sent a strong message to China by approving a helicopter service between Guwahati and Tawang, which China has claimed as part of its territory.

Chinese troops have made several intrusions in this region.

This is the second significant step that the Union government has taken after the prime minister's return from a three-day visit to China.

Immediately after coming back to India, Dr Singh had announced the appointment of former chief of staff General J J Singh as the new governor of Arunachal Pradesh.

"We welcome the Government of India's decision to introduce a helicopter service, but we would expect it to be extended to other districts of the state as well," Tapir Gao, Bhartiya Janata Party MP from the Arunachal II constituency, which includes Tawang, told rediff.com on Wednesday.