Arunachal: Nothing will be gained by changing names, says Jaishankar as China releases 30 more names for places
Surat: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted on Monday that Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will continue to be a part of India. This statement comes in the wake of China’s release of 30 new names for various locations within the border state.
During a press conference, Jaishankar dismissed the significance of the name changes, stating: “Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will remain an Indian state. No advantage will be gained by altering names.” He was in Gujarat on a two-day visit when he made these remarks. His comments were in response to Beijing’s recent attempt to reinforce its claim over the Indian state. The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs published a fourth list of standardised geographical names for Zangnan, the Chinese term for Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing considers part of South Tibet.
The official website of the ministry posted 30 additional names for the region. Set to take effect from May 1, the implementation measures stipulate in Article 13 that “place names in foreign languages that may harm China’s territorial claims and sovereignty rights shall not be directly quoted or translated without authorisation,” the report said.
The Chinese Civil Affairs Ministry released the first list of the standardised names of six places in Zangnan was released in 2017, while the second list of 15 places was issued in 2021 followed by another list with names for 11 places in 2023.
The recent statements by China to reassert its claims over the state started with Beijing lodging a diplomatic protest with India over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, where he dedicated to the nation the Sela Tunnel built at an altitude of 13,000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh. The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to strategically located Tawang and is expected to ensure better movement of troops along the frontier region. Chinese Foreign and Defence ministries have issued a flurry of statements to highlight China’s claims over the area.
