China renames 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh: Calls it ‘Southern Tibet’

In its renewed attempt to assert its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, China has renamed 11 places in the Indian state, calling it ‘southern Tibet’. In an intensified effort to emphasise its claim over India’s Arunachal Pradesh, China has come up with a third set of names for 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it referred to as “Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet.” China renames 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh: Calls it ‘Southern Tibet’.

China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs released the standardised names in Chinese, Tibetan, and Pinyin characters following regulations on geographical names issued by the State Council, China’s cabinet. The list includes precise coordinates for two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks, and two rivers, along with their subordinate administrative districts.

The state-run Global Times reported on Monday that this is the third batch of standardised geographical names for Arunachal Pradesh issued by China’s civil affairs ministry, with the first batch of six places announced in 2017 and the second batch of 15 places in 2021.

India has previously dismissed China’s move to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state has always been and will always be an integral part of India and that assigning invented names does not change this fact.

The Global Times quoted Chinese experts as saying that the announcement of names is a legitimate move and China’s sovereign right to standardise geographical names. At the same time, India’s external affairs ministry spokesperson emphasised that assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter the fact that the state is an integral part of India.

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