China has strongly criticised India’s decision to assign standard names to 27 geographical locations in Arunachal Pradesh, with the state-run Global Times claiming that the areas are part of China’s so-called “Zangnan” region.
Beijing uses the term “Zangnan” to refer to Arunachal Pradesh and adjoining areas that it claims as part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The newspaper reiterated comments made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun at a routine press briefing on April 14. Guo said the region was Chinese territory and that Beijing did not recognise the “so-called Arunachal Pradesh” established by India. He added that issuing standard Chinese names for locations in the region fell within China’s sovereign rights.
The reaction came three days after India’s Survey of India updated its official map to identify 21 land areas, four passes, a high-altitude glacial lake and a monument dedicated to a 1962 war hero in Arunachal Pradesh. The government said the exercise was intended to ensure the “correct identification” of locations and raise public awareness about their geographical and historical significance.
The Global Times reported on Sunday that India’s mapping exercise came shortly after the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs (WMCC), held in New Delhi on August 6. Officials from both countries discussed issues including boundary delimitation, border management and control, institutional mechanisms and cross-border cooperation.
“India’s latest move is essentially an attempt to reinforce its claims over disputed territory and counter China’s sovereignty position,” Guo Xuetang, a professor at Shanghai International Studies University, was quoted as saying.
The latest “war of names” adds another layer of complexity to the longstanding border dispute between the two countries, even as India and China continue efforts to keep military and diplomatic channels open.
