NEW DELHI – India has firmly rejected China’s latest move to rename several areas in Arunachal Pradesh, stating on Wednesday that the region is an inseparable part of India. The two countries share a border in this northeastern state, and tensions have often flared over it.
China has renamed places in Arunachal before, and this continues to strain relations between the neighbours, especially since their deadly 2020 border clash.
China’s foreign ministry claimed the renaming was part of its sovereign right, referring to Arunachal as “Zangnan” and calling it part of South Tibet — a claim India strongly denies.
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said that such “creative naming” won’t change the clear fact that Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will always remain part of India.
Last year, China renamed about 30 locations in the same region, a move India also rejected.
India and China have a long, disputed border stretching 3,800 km and have fought a war in 1962. Skirmishes have occasionally occurred since, including the deadly one in 2020.
