India slams China for unilaterally renaming Arunachal Pradesh locations

New Delhi, Apr 2: In response to China's latest attempt to rename 30 locations in Arunachal Pradesh with Chinese and Tibetan names, India firmly reiterated its rejection of such actions.

Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, emphasized, "China has persisted with its senseless attempts to rename places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. We firmly reject such attempts. Assigning invented names will not alter the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India."

This marks the fourth time that China has unilaterally changed the names of locations in the state, with the new names set to appear on official Chinese maps later this year.

The timing of this move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Arunachal, where he inaugurated the Sela Tunnel, a significant infrastructure project aimed at facilitating troop movement in the region's challenging terrain.

India has consistently rebuffed China's renaming efforts and dismissed its claims over Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that it remains an integral part of India. External Affairs Spokesperson earlier highlighted this stance, stating, "Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be a state of India. Changing names does not have an effect."

The renaming, though symbolic, underscores the strained relations between the two neighbouring countries. The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs released a new list of names, which includes residential areas, mountains, rivers, lakes, and mountain passes.

China's previous renaming efforts in Arunachal Pradesh occurred in April 2017 and December 2021. In 2017, the renaming occurred immediately following a visit by the Dalai Lama to the region.

The backdrop of this latest development is the ongoing standoff between India and China in the Ladakh sector since May 2020, leading to a significant deterioration in bilateral ties.

With both sides deploying troops and heavy armament along the Line of Actual Control, tensions remain high between the two Himalayan neighbours despite several rounds of military and official round of talks, the situation remains far from peaceful in the area.