The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has expressed its vehement disapproval of China’s recent endeavor to rename various places in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. On April 2, the MEA released a statement denouncing China’s actions, asserting, “China continues its futile efforts to rename locations in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.”
The MEA underscored that the act of assigning fabricated names to places in Arunachal Pradesh will not alter the fact that the state is an inseparable part of India. “We categorically reject such endeavors. Assigning fabricated names will not change the fact that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an inseparable and integral part of India,” the MEA statement further elaborated.
This denouncement follows the release of the fourth list of standardized geographical names in Zangnan, the Chinese term for Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing asserts as a part of south Tibet, by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs. The official website of the Chinese ministry listed 30 new names for the region.
In response to China’s action, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar commented, “Does renaming your house make it mine? Arunachal Pradesh has always been an Indian state and will continue to be so. Renaming achieves nothing.”
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also voiced his disapproval of China’s renaming effort, stating, “I vehemently denounce China’s illegal ‘standardization’ of geographical names assigned to 30 locations within Arunachal Pradesh. China’s baseless assertions will not alter the ground reality and the ‘historical truths’.”
The issue of China renaming locations in Arunachal Pradesh has been a persistent cause of discord between the two nations, with India consistently affirming its sovereignty over the state.
Rijiju stated, “Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of India, and its residents are exceptionally patriotic Indians by all measures and definitions.”
The renaming controversy has also attracted criticism from the opposition Congress party. Its president, Mallikarjun Kharge, denounced China’s actions on Monday and called on the BJP-led Central government to adopt a firm position. “When China resorts to provocation, PM Modi attempts to divert attention with a misleading narrative on Katchatheevu! Despite at least 19 rounds of bilateral discussions with his Chinese counterpart, PM Modi has failed to exert any diplomatic influence on China to halt this absurdity of ‘renaming’ Indian territories… The least the Modi Govt can do is to strongly condemn and reprimand China for these daily absurd actions and statements,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
