April 5, 2023
NEW DELHI – The government on Tuesday has reacted sharply to China renaming 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the Northeastern state was and would always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.
Reacting to reports from Beijing on China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs releasing a third set of names for 11 places in Arunachal, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said; “We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright.”
The spokesperson asserted; ”Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality.”
China has been from time to time asserting its claim over the Northeastern state terming it as a part of South Tibet.
The first batch of six places renamed by China in Arunachal was announced in 2017 and the second batch of 15 places in 2021.
The names are standardised in Chinese, Tibetan, and Pinyin characters, which follow the regulations on geographical names issued by the State Council, China’s Cabinet.