Not all quiet on Eastern Front? China renames 27 places in India’s Arunachal to re-assert claim
“New Delhi rejected China’s latest move and asserted that Arunachal Pradesh would always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. Beijing, however, stated that ‘Southern Tibet’ (Arunachal Pradesh) was part of the territory of China and standardising the names of places within its territory was well within the sovereign right of the President Xi Jinping’s government.”
“The Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Chinese Government recently published the Chinese and Tibetan names of 27 places in Zangnan or Southern Tibet, as China refers to Arunachal Pradesh of India. The places included 15 mountains, five residential areas, four mountain passes, two rivers and a lake. China similarly renamed places in Arunachal Pradesh of India in the past, too. But the timing of the latest move by Beijing appears to be deliberately chosen to send out a subtle message to New Delhi about India’s strategic challenges on the eastern and northern fronts, given the unsettled boundary dispute with China.”
“New Delhi claims that China is illegally occupying about 38,000 sq. km of India’s territory in Aksai Chin, which borders eastern Ladakh. Pakistan also ceded to China about 5,180 sq. km of India’s territory in Shaksgam Valley in 1963. Beijing claims 90000 sq. km of area in Arunachal Pradesh of India as part of the territory of China. Beijing also claims a 2,000 sq. km area in the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states of India.”