New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on Tuesday, reacted strongly to China’s criticism of India’s move to identify 27 places and features in Arunachal Pradesh.
Nothing can change the “indisputable reality” that Arunachal Pradesh is an inalienable and integral part of India, the MEA said, days after China termed the move as “null and void”.
“Arunachal is an inalienable and integral part of India and this is a fact which is self-evident. At the same time, let me also underline that nothing can change this indisputable reality,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to a question by ANI at a press briefing.
India, on Friday, issued standard names for 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh located along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a move officials described as a riposte to China’s efforts to rename dozens of locations in the Indian state in recent years. This is the first time India has issued the names on a cartographic map.
The border village of Longju, which has been controlled by China since 1959 but is within the Indian claim line, was among the places identified. The move is aimed at reinforcing India’s absolute sovereign and legal jurisdiction over these territories.
“There has been a lot of ambiguity regarding the maps. China uses this to give fictitious names to Arunachal Pradesh’s territories, which are part of sovereign India,” an official said.
“Putting these 27 locations on the Survey of India map provides clarity, makes our claim status strong and strengthens the official documentation of geographical features,” he added.
China, however, termed the move “illegal, null and void”.
“China does not recognise the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun had said on Monday while answering a question on India’s recent announcement, as reported by Hindustan Times.
“India’s move of attempting to replace names long been used by China with its so-called ‘standard names’ is illegal, null and void,” he said in a reply posted on the official website of the foreign ministry.
“Still less will it change the fact that Zangnan region belongs to China,” he added.
China maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is Zangnan or Southern Tibet.