New Delhi: Fresh tensions emerged between China and India after New Delhi formally identified 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names on an official map, prompting Beijing to object to the move and call it “invalid".
Last week, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that the exercise was carried out in consultation with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh.
The 27 notified locations include settlements, mountain passes, water bodies and memorials spread across the frontier state. The settlements and localities identified by the ministry are Longju, Maja, Bisa, Bara Kundun, Chhota Kundun, Dhan Bari, Pritnagar, Buddhamandir, Jairampur, Teritnagar, Ramnagar, Jaswant Garh, Sagar, Padma, Jyotinagar, Baisakhi, Chhota Ropuk, Bara Ropuk, Shivaji Nagar, Sunpura and Kamlang Nagar.
The notified geographical features also include the strategically significant mountain passes of Dzo La, Riza La, Pukur La and Thag La, along with Sambho Sarovar, a lake, and the Sher-e-Thapa Memorial, which commemorates India's military history in the region.
As per a statement, the newly designated names have been incorporated into the official maps of the Survey of India (SoI), providing uniform legal, administrative and cartographic recognition to the identified locations.
The move comes against the backdrop of Beijing’s repeated attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, which China refers to as “South Tibet”.
Meanwhile, Chinese state media criticised India’s decision to identify 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names on its official map, calling it an act of “self-deception” that runs counter to the improving momentum in bilateral relations and could complicate efforts to properly handle the border issue.
In July this year, China renamed 89 places in Arunachal Pradesh, marking the third such exercise by Beijing in six years involving places in the Indian territory. New Delhi’s latest move is seen as a counter to China’s renaming efforts.
The tension between the two countries has been growing following the military stand-off in eastern Ladakh, which began in May 2020. India lost 20 soldiers in the border clashes.
Opposition parties have repeatedly accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of “giving away” Indian territory to China, an allegation the BJP has denied.
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