New Delhi: India's Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, criticized China's recent decision to announce Chinese names for geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh, questioning, "If today I change the name of your home, will it become mine?" Asserting that Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will remain an integral part of India, Jaishankar emphasized that altering names does not alter the territory's status. He reiterated India's military presence along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
This marks the fourth instance in seven years that China has unveiled Chinese names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs released a list of "standardized" names for 30 places in "Zangnan," the Chinese term for the northeastern state, following approval from the State Council, according to an official statement. Previous lists were issued in 2023 with 11 names, 2017 with six names, and 2021 with 15 names.
India has consistently rejected such actions, reaffirming Arunachal Pradesh's status as an integral part of the country. India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson stated last year that attempts to assign alternate names would not alter this reality.
Reportedly set to take effect from May 1, 2024, the implementation measures outlined in Article 13 specify that "place names in foreign languages that may undermine China's territorial claims and impact rights will not be directly quoted or translated without authorization," as reported by Global Times.
This development follows China's lodging of a diplomatic protest over Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh, during which he inaugurated the Sela Pass, situated at an altitude of 13,000 feet. The Congress party blamed the Narendra Modi-led government for China's actions. Former Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stated, "Even after at least 19 rounds of bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, PM Modi has failed to exert any diplomatic leverage on China to halt this folly of 'renaming' Indian territories."
According to Kharge, the reason is clear: "Post Doklam and Galwan, and after China's occupation of 2000 square kilometers of Indian territory in Ladakh, along with other incursions in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand, PM Modi conveniently absolved China of any wrongdoing!" He continued, "The so-called '56-inch chest' and 'red eyes' are now sporting Chinese insignias! No amount of diversion can alter the fact that PM Modi gave China a free pass, despite 20 Indian soldiers making the ultimate sacrifice in Galwan! China has repeatedly engaged in seizing territories and renaming areas of various countries. We, the people of India, stand united in condemning these audacious actions by China. The least the Modi government can do is strongly condemn and censure China for these continual absurd actions and statements."