New Delhi: After India rejected China’s attempt to rename 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, China has once again made a provocative statement claiming its ‘sovereignty’ over the area.
At a regular press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said, “Zangnan” (Arunachal Pradesh) is part of China’s territory… The competent authorities of the Chinese government have standardized the names of parts of Zangnan… It is within the scope of China’s sovereign rights…”
China had released a set of new names for 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh as part of efforts to reinvigorate its claim over the state. This was the third time China had “renamed” places in Arunachal Pradesh. China calls Arunachal Pradesh ‘Zangnan’, the southern part of Tibet’.
China’s Interior Ministry on Monday released the set of names in Chinese, Tibetan and Pinyin letters, based on geographical names issued as per rules by the State Council of China’s Cabinet.
The list of names released by China included five mountain peaks, two land areas, two residential areas and two rivers.
The first two such lists were released in 2017 and 2021. In the first list, China had released six names, while in the second list, it had “renamed” 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh.
India had strongly rejected China’s claims on both occasions, saying Arunachal Pradesh has “always been an integral part of India” and “will always be an integral part of India”.