Arunachal Pradesh: India rejects China’s renaming of 11 locations

India on Tuesday rejected China’s move to rename 11 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet, with the external affairs ministry saying such steps will not alter the reality that the northeastern state is an integral part of the country.

This was China’s third unilateral renaming of locations in Arunachal Pradesh, following the renaming of six locations in April 2017 and 15 more locations in December 2021.

In response to the recent renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh, Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry, said, “We have seen such reports.” This is not the first time China has attempted something like this. We categorically reject this.”

“Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India,” he continued. Attempts to give invented names will not change this fact.”

India has previously rejected such renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh, emphasising that the northeastern state is an integral and inseparable part of the country.

According to a brief statement issued on Sunday by China’s civil affairs ministry, “our ministry, together with relevant departments, has standardised some geographical names in southern Tibet in accordance with the relevant regulations of the State Council (China’s cabinet) on the management of geographical names.”

According to the state-run tabloid Global Times, the civil affairs ministry provided coordinates for the renamed locations, which included two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks, and two rivers. “It listed the names of the categories of places and their subordinate administrative districts,” according to the report.