ITANAGAR: China has changed the names of 30 locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, which is seen as an attempt to reinforce its claim over the region.
The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs, which decides on administrative divisions and names, has issued a list of standardized geographical names of areas in Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing refers to Arunachal Pradesh as Zangnan.
China has given new names to 11 residential areas, 12 mountains, four rivers, one lake, one mountain pass, and a piece of land. These names include Chinese characters, Tibetan, and pinyin, which is the Roman alphabet version of Mandarin Chinese.
The ministry also provided detailed latitude and longitude coordinates along with a high-resolution map.
The South China Morning Post quoted, “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.”
Beijing first released a list of six standardized names for places in Arunachal Pradesh in 2017. This list was followed by a second list of 15 places in 2021, and then another list names foe 11 places in 2023.
India has consistently rejected China’s attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh. India maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country, and renaming places with news names does not change this fact.
China’s recent efforts to reaffirm its claim over Arunachal Pradesh began when Beijing lodged a diplomatic protest against India. This protest was in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, where he dedicated the Sela Tunnel to the nation. The tunnel is located at an altitude of 13,000 feet in Aruachal Pradesh.
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