Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, April 4: India rebuffed China’s request to rename 11 locations in Arunachal Pradesh and proclaimed that the state has “always” been and would be an essential part of India.
In a move to reaffirm its claim to the state, China yesterday announced a set of new names for 11 locations in Arunachal Pradesh. China has “renamed” locations in Arunachal Pradesh, which it refers to as “Zangnan, the southern section of Tibet”.
Five mountain peaks, two geographical regions, two towns, and two rivers are all listed in China’s list of names.
This is the third time that China has ‘renamed’ places in Arunachal Pradesh. In 2018 and 2021, the first two of these lists were made public. In 2017, China released a list of six names, and in 2021, it “renamed” 15 locations in Arunachal Pradesh.
In a statement, New Delhi said that Beijing was creating names that had no bearing on reality.
“We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright..” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
“Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality,” he added.
This is not first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh an integral, inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality: MEA on renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh by China pic.twitter.com/HjsfGDkYLG
— ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2023
Notably, days after the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh in 2017, China released the first list of names. The visit of the Tibetan spiritual leader received harsh criticism from China.
As China seized military control of the Himalayan area in 1950, the Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet via Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and sought asylum in India.
In December, amid a months-long border stalemate in eastern Ladakh, Indian and Chinese soldiers had engaged in combat along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the state’s Tawang sector.
Rajnath Singh, the defence minister, then charged China with attempting to “unilaterally” alter the status quo along the LAC.
