April 8, 2023
China again renames 11 places in disputed Arunachal Pradesh
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
China has for the third time renamed 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh which it calls “Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet”. The move is expected to further intensify tension and deepen mistrust between New Delhi and Beijing who are in the middle of their worst bilateral chill in decades, according to First Post newspaper.
The names were released on Sunday and were in Chinese, Tibetan and pinyin characters, in accordance with regulations on geographical names issued by State Council, China’s cabinet, said a report by the Global Times of China.
In a release on Sunday, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs also said they are “standardizing some geographical names in southern Tibet”.
Sharing the “official” names of 11 places for Arunachal Pradesh, the China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs gave precise coordinates, including two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that his country rejected the renaming plan “outright”. “This is not the first time China has made such an attempt,” Bagchi said in response to media inquiries.
The latest renaming practice by China comes mere days ahead China’s newly appointed Defense Minister General Li Shangfu’s visit to India. He is expected to attend the SCO Defense Ministers’ meetings this month. China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang will also be attending the meeting SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in May, where India currently holds the presidency of the group.
US reaction
The US has recognized Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India and strongly opposes any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by renaming localities, the White House has said.
The US reaction came in response to Beijing announcing Chinese names for 11 more places in Arunachal Pradesh which the neighbouring country claims as the southern part of Tibet.
"The United States has recognised that territory (Arunachal Pradesh) for a long time (as an integral part of India). And we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by renaming localities," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.
"And so, again, this is something that we have long stood by," Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference.
Not for the first time
This if not the first time China has renamed places terming them standardized geographical names. Days after Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama left Arunachal Pradesh following a high-profile nine-day visit in 2017, China on 13 April 2017 carried out first batch of name changes of six places in the Indian state.
The second batch was in 2021 when China renamed 15 locations in Arunachal Pradesh. It happened ahead of a new border security law that was to come in effect in January 2021.
Dismissing China’s move, India said such actions wouldn’t alter the region’s status as an integral part of the country.
China criticizes Indian minister’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh
China firmly opposes a visit by India’s home minister to Arunachal Pradesh and views his activities in the area as violating Beijing’s territorial sovereignty, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday.
“Zangnan is China’s territory,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in response to a question about the visit by India’s Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah. “The Indian official’s visit to Zangnan violates China’s territorial sovereignty, and is not conducive to the peace and tranquility of the border situation.”
Speaking at the launch of a program called “Vibrant Villages” in Kibithoo, the border village of Arunachal Pradesh, Shah was quoted as saying by local media that the entire country could sleep peacefully in their homes thanks to the hard work of the security forces on India’s borders.
Standoff between India and China
India and China have been locked in a standoff in Ladakh sector since early May 2020, worsening bilateral ties between both the countries. Thousands of troops and heavy armament have been deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
In June 2020, at Galwan Valley clash, 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops were dead – the first fatalities along the LAC since 1975.
India and China share a de-facto border, parts of which are located in Arunachal Pradesh
India has reacted sharply to China's attempts to rename places in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh and said it "outright rejects" the move.
The soldiers on either side - representing two of the world's largest armies - come face to face at many points, the last time being in December when Indian and Chinese troops clashed along the border in the town of Tawang.
China moves to assert control along disputed border
China is planning to upgrade two Tibetan towns along the disputed border with India to city status, in a move that may help consolidate its hold over the region but risks further inflaming tensions, Laura Zhou of South China Morning Post (SCMP) said.
China and India have never agreed on their border demarcation and since a short but bloody war over the issue in 1962 they have been divided by the 3,200km (1,990-mile) LAC – although they have not even been able to agree on precisely where that lies. The territory at the heart of the latest dispute is claimed by China as Southern Tibet, but is held by India as the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Chinese authorities in Tibet said two counties along the eastern section of the LAC – Milin and Cuona – would be upgraded to city states and taken under the direct administration of the regional government.
Both areas have populations of less than 25,000 but Milin – also known as Mainling – is an important border town and transport hub whose territory covers 180km (115 miles) of the Indian frontier.
It is linked by rail to the regional capital Lhasa and lies along a highway linking Tibet and Xinjiang, as well as having its own airport.
Cuona, also known as Cona or Tsona, borders Bhutan to the southwest and lies across the LAC from the Tawang sector. Part of the territory China claims as part of the new city is currently controlled by India.
Liu Zongyi, a senior fellow with the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said the upgrade may help Beijing further strengthen its control over the region, particularly in Cuona.
“By upgrading the administrative status, China has strengthened control by asserting its sovereignty and reinforcing governance of the two areas,” Liu said. “There will be more resources invested in the regions.”
Since the border stand-off started in the western sector in 2020, both Beijing and New Delhi have steadily stepped up infrastructure investment along the frontier.
Abdus Sattar Ghazali is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of America. Email: asghazali2011 (@) gmail.com
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The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
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