NEW DELHI: The Chinese ministry of civil affairs on Saturday revealed that it had renamed 30 more places along the border with India, South China Morning Post reported.The latest set of “standardised” names, published by the ministry, applies to areas within Arunachal Pradesh, referred to as Zangnan by China, and it claims to be part of the Tibetan autonomous region.”In accordance with the relevant provisions of the State Council [China’s cabinet] on the management of geographical names, we in conjunction with the relevant departments have standardised some of the geographical names in Zangnan of China,” SCMP reported, quoting the ministry.The renaming covered 11 residential districts, 12 mountains, four rivers, one lake, one mountain pass, and a parcel of land, all denoted in Chinese characters, Tibetan script, and pinyin, the Romanised form of Mandarin Chinese.This comes following a rebuttal by the ministry of external affairs on Thursday refuting China’s claims on Arunachal Pradesh, labeling them as “baseless”. Reiterating India’s stance, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal asserted that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, a fact that is immutable despite China’s persistent assertions.”Our position has been made very clear time and again. China may repeat its baseless claims as many times as they want. That is not going to change the position of India. Arunachal Pradesh was is and will always remain an integral an inalienable part of India,” ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said while addressing a press briefing.Earlier this week, China continued to claim that Arunachal Pradesh has “always been” its territory, notwithstanding India dismissing Beijing’s claim as “absurd” and “ludicrous”.”Zangnan (the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh) in the eastern sector has always been China’s territory,” Lin said. China had all along exercised effective administrative jurisdiction over the area “until India’s illegal occupation”, he said, claiming this as a “basic fact that cannot be denied”.Earlier external affairs minister S Jaishankar had also denounced China’s repeated claims on Arunachal Pradesh as “ludicrous” and that the frontier state was a “natural part of India”.”This is not a new issue. I mean China has laid claim, it has expanded its claim. The claims are ludicrous to begin with and remain ludicrous today. So, I think we’ve been very clear, very consistent on this. And I think you know that is something which will be part of the boundary discussions which are taking place,” he had said at the Institute of South Asian Studies of the National University of Singapore.(With inputs from agencies)
