Renaming in Arunachal: India hits back at China

NEW DELHI:India has lashed out at China for giving 'invented' names to several places in Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing has its eyes set on this remote state in Northeast India and is looking to assert its sovereignty over the territory. Several stretches in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are disputed and it seems as if Beijing would not soften its rhetoric anytime soon. The Ministry of Civil Affairs of China said that it had "standardized" the names of 15 places in Zangnan ("South Tibet") and gave formal Chinese names to all these places.

Beijing has labelled Arunachal Pradesh as "South Tibet" and claimed that China has historical links with the region. The renaming of residential areas, rivers and mountains followed a similar move in 2017 involving six other locations in the same area. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India responded by saying that Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India.

"Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact," MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in a statement. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian reiterated Beijing's stance by saying that "Southern Tibet is in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and has historically been Chinese territory." The spokesman also added that the renaming came within the scope of China's sovereignty. (Agencies)

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