GUWAHATI: Arunachal Pradesh Congress MLA Ninong Ering has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take up the matter of China unilaterally making changes in its map with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9-10.
“I write to you today to express my deep anguish and concern regarding the Chinese cartographic aggression by the People's Republic of China (PRC) by releasing a so-called ‘2023 edition of China’s standard map’ claiming Indian territories of Arunachal and Aksai Chin. The map was released by PRC’s Ministry of Natural Resources while Chinese state-run propaganda piece Global Times went on to state this map is compiled based on the drawing method of national boundaries of China and various countries in the world,” Ering wrote in his letter, a copy of which is available with this newspaper.
He mentioned that the “unforeseen, unfortunate yet deliberate” action by the Chinese invoked deep resentment among the people of Arunachal. He also pointed out that the PRC had tried to assert its claim over Arunachal by renaming 11 locations in April 2023, 15 locations in 2021 and six places in 2017.
The recent release of the “PRC Standard Map” is hence a culmination of PRC’s nefarious plans and a matter especially significant since Arunachal is an integral part of India and has scarred memories of the 1962 Sino-Indian war, Ering wrote.
He further mentioned that India is engaged in combat with an “aggressive PRC” along the Indo-Tibetan border in the Himalayas, and 20 Indian Army personnel gave their lives defending India’s frontiers against the PLA in the Galwan Valley in 2020.
“Prior to this, you emphasised that no one can seize an inch of India's land. Referring to the India-PRC standoff in the Tawang district of Arunachal in December 2022, Union Home Minister Amit Shah ji earlier stated that the government is committed to ensuring that not a single inch of India's soil is compromised,” Ering wrote to PM Modi.
He viewed the release of the map by China as an attack on India’s sovereignty and integrity.
“And, it is in this connection that being an elected representative of Arunachal’s Pasighat-West seat (which sits right on the India-Tibet border) that I appeal to you to discuss this matter of PRC unilaterally making changes in its map with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the upcoming G20 Summit...” Ering further wrote to PM Modi.
He said that any more silence on the issue would be considered and even advertised by the PRC as a “tacit approval of the Indian side on Chinese claims”. He also said he would like this matter to be highlighted and condemned globally by relevant state-run media in order to appraise the world of the PRC’s aggression.