NEW DELHI: Taking umbrage to China’s announcing of standardised names of places in Arunachal Pradesh, India on Thursday said that inventing names will not legalise Beijing’s illegal claims on the Indian state.
This was said by the Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Gopal Baglay in the first official response of India on the issue.
“Assigning invented names to the towns of your neighbor does not make illegal territorial claims legal. Arunachal Pradesh is and will always be an integral part of India,” Baglay asserted. He also expressed hope that the boundary question between the two countries will be addressed in “honourable and mutual manner”.
China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs had announced on April 14 that it had standardised in Chinese characters, Tibetan and Roman alphabet the names of six places in Arunachal Pradesh, China claims to be ‘South Tibet’. The move was seen at reaffirming China’s claim over Arunachal Pradesh. The official names of the six places using the Roman alphabet are Wo’gyainling, Mila Ri, Qoid ngarbo Ri, Mainquka, B mo La and Namkapub Ri.
Chinese observers opined that China’s reaction has been in response to Tibetan Spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Prades and that India does not have to do anything.
“My opinion is India doesn’t have to do anything. There are Chinese names for other places in India too. Arunachal Pradesh is part of India and will continue to be so,” Lt Gen SL Narsimhan, who has served as Defence Attaché in Embassy of India in China and a China expert told the Express.
Talking about India’s next course of action, he added: “Jumping at everything is not strategy. That is what China does. It shows China poorly and as an unsure power. India should not follow the same route.”
China’s reaction seems to be in sync with their past record as they have deployed similar pressure tactics in South China Sea and East China Sea.