India calls China renaming areas in Arunachal Pradesh ‘vain’, ‘preposterous’
Such an exercise will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India, MEA says
Soldier guards a military installation in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh (Photo: Getty Images)
India has categorically rejected China’s latest move to rename several locations in Arunachal Pradesh, labeling the action as “vain and preposterous.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasised that such attempts will not alter the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India.
In a strongly worded statement, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “We have noticed that China has persisted with its vain and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Consistent with our principled position, we reject such attempts categorically.” He further added, “Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.”
This response follows China’s release of a list assigning Chinese names to several locations within Arunachal Pradesh, a region Beijing refers to as “South Tibet.” India has consistently dismissed such claims, maintaining that the state is an integral part of its sovereign territory.
The renaming initiative is seen as part of China’s broader strategy to assert territorial claims over the region. India’s firm rejection underscores its stance that symbolic or semantic changes by China will not impact the ground realities or alter recognized borders.
In what the rest of the world describes as a territorial dispute between the two nations, with China routinely challenging India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh, New Delhi’s latest response reaffirms its commitment to upholding its territorial integrity in the face of such challenges.
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