China Renames 15 Places In Arunachal Pradesh, MEA Opposes Move

India strongly opposed China for renaming 15 places inside Arunachal Pradesh to be used subsequently on official Chinese maps, part of broader recent moves by Beijing to step up its territorial claim. The External Affairs Minister Arindam Bagchi said, "This is not the first time China has attempted such a renaming of places in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017". He also said that these derisive moves by Beijing do not alter the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country.

Arunachal Pradesh is showcased on Chinese maps as "Zangnan" or "South Tibet". Back in 2017, Beijing issued six official names for places there, which was seen as a retaliatory move after the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, visited the State.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Civil Affairs released a list of 15 New 'Standardised' names along with their exact coordinates and a map, days ahead of new border law coming into force, as reported by The Hindu.

Land Borders Law

The Land Borders Law lays down that the PRC shall set up boundary markers on all its land borders to mark the border. The type of marker is to be decided in agreement with the relevant neighbouring State. The responsibility of maintaining security along the border is given to The People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Chinese People's Armed Police Force.

Concerns Over The Law

India flagged concerns over the new law, which takes effect on January 1, 2022, saying that "China's unilateral decision to bring out a legislation which can have implications on our existing bilateral arrangements on border management… is of concern to us".

The Law was seen to legitimise the Chinese Military Transgressions in Eastern Ladakh. The Law calls for various Chinese civilian and military agencies to "safeguard" Chinese territory and has coincided with stepped-up plans by China to bolster its control along with disputed areas, including by constructing "frontier" villages and civilian settlements.

15 Places Renamed

The 15 places named on December 30 includes one mountain pass, two rivers, four mountains, and eight residential areas, as per the Communist Party-run Global Times. Furthermore, the paper quoted Zhang Yongpan, an expert on border issues at the influential Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, saying that "since India has illegally occupied the Zangnan area, the Indian government has also established some illegal names in the area."

"The right to name places in the region should belong to China," he told the paper, adding that the naming, as well as the border law, were "important moves made by the country to safeguard national sovereignty, better maintain national security and manage border-related matters at the legal level amid regional tensions, including frictions with India."

The eight towns on the list were Sengkezong and Daglungzong in Cona county of Shannan prefecture, Mani'gang, During and Migpain in Medog county of Nyingchi, Going, Mejag in Lhunze county of Shannan and Damba in Zayu county of Nyingchi; the mountains were Deu Ri, Wamo Ri, Kumingxingze Feng and Lhunzhub Ri; the two rivers were Xenyogmo He and Dulain He, and the mountain pass on the list was Se La.

Also Read: Karnataka Becomes First Indian State To Draft Bill Protecting Cyclists, Pedestrians