In response to China announcing on Sunday that it would be renaming 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said “[India] reject(s) this outright.”
Bagchi referred to Beijing’s announcement as an attempt to “assign invented names,” which would not change the reality. Additionally, in light of Beijing’s similar aggressions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), he said, “This is not the first time China has made such an attempt.” To this end, he reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inalienable part of India.”
China’s Announcement
On Sunday, China said it would ‘standardise’ 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh following the State Council’s regulation on geographical names. The policy was announced in May 2022, introducing strict standards to rename localities and sites.
According to the state-run Global Times, the names will be released in Chinese characters, Tibetan, and pinyin. The Chinese government mouthpiece also said that the inclusion of other characters showed “respect for ethnic culture.”
Our response to media queries regarding the renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh by China:https://t.co/JcMQoaTzK6 pic.twitter.com/CKBzK36H1K
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) April 4, 2023
The places include “two residential areas, five mountain peaks, two rivers, and two other areas.” The announcement gave details of the exact coordinates and the respective subordinate administrative district.
Quoting an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Global Times said the decision was legitimate as the region “falls within China’s sovereignty.”
Meanwhile, a source quoted by The Hindu said the renaming was another attempt by Beijing to “to bolster Chinese territorial claims and to create or alter evidence to support their claims in case of any sovereignty disagreements in any international court.”
Third Such “Standardisation” Exercise
This is the third time China has announced names for regions in Arunachal Pradesh, which the government refers to as Zangnan. First, it announced the “standardisation” of six places in 2017. Then, it renamed 15 other locations in 2021.
Flash: Chinese authorities announce new names of 11 locations in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Announcement made by Chinese civil aviation ministry. Notification: pic.twitter.com/p8EwoCj4Of
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 3, 2023
At the time, Bagchi rejected the Chinese government’s move.
In 2017, the renaming exercise occurred soon after the Doklam clashes between Indian and Chinese troops. Similarly, the 2021 announcement appeared just a year after the 2020 stand-off in Galwan.
However, since then, India and China have engaged in several military-level and official-level discussions, which are likely to witness stagnation after this announcement.
The announcement will also likely obstruct any possibility of progress during Chinese Defence Minister General Li Shangfu’s visit to India for the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting in May.