The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs announced on Saturday that it had officially renamed 30 locations along the border with India, further asserting its claim over Arunachal Pradesh.
According to reports from the South China Morning Post, the latest renaming exercise, described as "standardised" by the ministry, primarily affects areas within Arunachal Pradesh, known as Zangnan by China. China claims these regions as part of the Tibetan autonomous region.
"In accordance with the relevant provisions of the State Council [China’s cabinet] on the management of geographical names, we, in conjunction with the relevant departments, have standardised some of the geographical names in Zangnan of China," the SCMP quoted the ministry as saying.
The renaming encompasses 11 residential districts, 12 mountains, four rivers, one lake, one mountain pass, and a parcel of land. These names are represented in Chinese characters, Tibetan script, and pinyin, the Romanised form of Mandarin Chinese.
This development follows a recent rebuttal by the Ministry of External Affairs, which refuted China's claims on Arunachal Pradesh as "baseless". Reaffirming India's position, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal asserted that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, a stance that remains unchanged despite China's persistent assertions.
"Our position has been made very clear time and again. China may repeat its baseless claims as many times as they want. That is not going to change the position of India. Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India," Jaiswal stated during a press briefing.
Earlier in the week, China reiterated its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that it has "always been" Chinese territory. This claim was contested by India, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar denouncing China's assertions as "ludicrous" and affirming Arunachal Pradesh's status as a "natural part of India".
This latest renaming exercise marks the fourth instance of China unilaterally renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh, following similar actions in August 2023, April 2017, and December 2021.
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