Arunachal youth says goodbye, plans to meet in China
China strongly objects to India's move to officially name 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh.
What is the use of regretting now, when the birds have eaten the field? This saying aptly fits India's move to formally name 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh. China has reacted strongly to this step by India. Beijing has termed India's decision as "illegal, invalid, and meaningless" and once again asserted its claim over Arunachal Pradesh. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that India's move will not change Beijing's stance on the disputed region.
According to Global Times, Guo said,
"The Zangnan region is part of China." He also rejected India's use of the name Arunachal Pradesh. His comment came a few days after India formally recorded 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh on the official maps of the Survey of India.
Meanwhile, a video of a young man from Arunachal Pradesh, Taba Nagu, has been rapidly going viral on social media for the past 24 hours.
In the video, he says,
"China is rapidly occupying the land of Arunachal Pradesh. China has intruded 60 km into our villages. Our government officials are not seeing this and are not listening to the villagers. Taba Nagu says - Bye-bye, now you will not only see me, but the whole of Arunachal in China."
He has raised serious questions about the situation in Arunachal through the video. However, after the video went viral, the government of Arunachal Pradesh woke up and Taba Nagu's video was removed from Instagram. Taba Nagu had posted this video on Instagram.
The Government of India has consistently stated that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and that China's attempts to rename various locations in the state do not change the reality of territorial claims. According to the government, the aim of this new exercise is to ensure accurate identification of these places and to increase awareness among the general public. In response to questions related to India's decision, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that Beijing does not recognize the region it has referred to as the "so-called" Arunachal Pradesh.
Guo said,
"China does not recognize the so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh' illegally established by India." He also objected to India's move to give standard names to places for which China has previously used its own names.
Guo said, "India's attempt to replace the names long used by China with its so-called 'standard names' is illegal, invalid, and meaningless." He stated that this will not change Beijing's claim over the region.
It should be noted that China refers to Arunachal Pradesh as "Zangnan" and claims it as part of its territory. New Delhi has consistently rejected this claim and maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India. India announced this mapping process on Friday. The Ministry of Home Affairs stated that after consultation with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, 27 places have been formally recorded on the maps of the Survey of India with their standard names.
The ministry said,
"The Government of India has marked a total of 27 places/geographical features located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh on the official maps of the Survey of India with their standard names in consultation with the state government. The purpose of formally marking them on the Survey of India's map of Arunachal Pradesh is to ensure accurate identification of these places and to create greater awareness among the general public about them."
India has previously called China's attempts to rename places "meaningless and absurd." New Delhi states that such actions cannot change the "undisputed" reality that Arunachal Pradesh "was, is, and will remain an integral part of India." Several places included in India's new mapping exercise are strategically and historically significant. Longju, located near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), is among them. This area was one of the initial centers of India-China border tensions, where Chinese troops entered in 1959. Maja village in the Upper Subansiri district is also included in the list. Additionally, several high-altitude passes have been officially marked, including Dzo La, Rija La, and Pukur La. Thag La has also been recorded on the official map. This area was the site of one of the initial battles of the 1962 India-China war.
Jairampur in Changlang district is also included in this list. This town is an important logistics hub for movement towards eastern Arunachal Pradesh and the Myanmar border. Other places include Sambho Sarovar, Bada Kundun, Chhota Kundun, Dhan Bari, Preetnagar, Teritnagar, Ramnagar, and Jaswant Garh. Jaswant Garh has a memorial in memory of Indian soldier Jaswant Singh Rawat, who fought in the 1962 war. Villages like Sagar, Padma, Jyotinagar, and Baisakhi have also been formally marked. The list also includes the Sher-e-Thapa Memorial, built in memory of the 1962 war hero Trilok Singh Thapa. Chhota Ropuk, Bada Ropuk, Shivaji Nagar, Sunpura, Kamlang Nagar, and Buddhmandir are among other places included in this exercise.
The latest controversy is part of a series that has been ongoing for several years. China first released a list of changed names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh in 2017. Subsequently, in 2021, China released a second list, which included names for 15 places. In 2023, Beijing released yet another list of new names for 11 other places in Arunachal Pradesh. India has rejected all these attempts by China to rename places.
The Government of India states that changing the names of places in maps or administrative records cannot alter the status of areas under Indian administration. The Indian government has also accused Beijing of trying to create a "baseless narrative" through such actions.