India slams China's 'senseless' renaming spree in Arunachal Pradesh: What is Beijing's problem?

According to various reports, British India reached a consensus with the Tibetan authorities at the Simla Convention in 1914. It was decided that the border would pass through the McMahon Line.

The situation became tense after the People's Republic of China was established by Mao Zedong in 1949. The annexation of Tibet by the People's Liberation Army in 1950 further complicated the situation.

Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, in a note to the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1959, reportedly for the first time mentioned the term “Line of Actual Control” (LAC). This action sparked the Sino-Indian War in 1962.

The situation turned worse when Beijing released an official map showing parts of Arunachal Pradesh as Chinese territory. Eventually China announced a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew from most of the invaded area. After the 1962 war, the LAC became an informal ceasefire line between India and China.

India now considers the McMahon Line as its version of the LAC. Meanwhile, China claims Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, which it refers to as “South Tibet”, as its territory.

Notably, United States recognises Arunachal Pradesh as part of India and has often opposed China's "unilateral attempts" to assert territorial claims over the region.

US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on March 9 that "the US recognises Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory, and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by incursions or encroachments, military or civilian, across the Line of Actual Control."

Why is China on a renaming spree?

Over the last few years, China has been asserting its territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh. It has proposed new maps claiming the Indian state as part of its territory. It is said that China aims to legitimise places in Arunachal Pradesh for its geostrategic importance.

A report by Hindustan Times quoted, Dai Bingguo, who was Beijing’s top negotiator on the border dispute with his Indian counterparts between 2003 and 2013, as saying, “the disputed territory in the eastern sector of the China-India boundary, including Tawang, is inalienable from China’s Tibet in terms of cultural background and administrative jurisdiction”. The newspaper reported that Bingguo, in an interview with the China-Indian Dialogue magazine, suggested that India was blocking China’s “reasonable requests” in not offering Tawang up as part of a border settlement.

Such moves are typical Chinese tactics aimed at challenging the sovereignty of other countries and asserting claims over areas which Beijing considers its own.

For instance, China has longstanding disputes with several countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines in the South China Sea, a strategically important region which facilitates trillions of dollars in trade each year.

Besides India, countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have objected to the 2023 version of China's “standard map” in which Beijing laid claim over most of South China Sea.

What does India say about China's claims

India has been repeatedly rejecting China's move to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of the country and assigning "invented" names does not alter this reality.

After the latest renaming attempt, the MEA said: "China has persisted with its senseless attempts to rename places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. We firmly reject such attempts. Assigning invented names will not alter the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India.”

On Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “changing names does not have any effect”. “Main aapke ghar ka naam badal du to mera ghar ban jayega kya? (If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine),” he said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said China has been a “habitual offender” in claiming territories and renaming areas of different countries. He also questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not strongly reprimanding China for such “ludicrous actions”. “Even after at least 19 rounds of bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, PM Modi has not been able to use any diplomatic influence on China to stop this absurdity of ‘renaming’ Indian territories,” posted Kharge on X.

Not the first time

Beijing released the first list of “standardised names” of six places in Arunachal Pradesh in 2017, the second list of 15 places in 2021 followed by another list with names for 11 places in 2023.

“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,” South China Morning Post quoted the Chinese ministry of civil affairs as saying. The daily also reportedly stated that the ministry also included detailed latitude and longitude and a high-resolution map.

Not just that, China has also objected to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visits to Arunachal Pradesh.

Beijing recently lodged a diplomatic protest with India when PM Modi visited Arunachal Pradesh to dedicate the Sela Tunnel to the nation. India soundly dismissed these objections, saying that Arunachal Pradesh is part of its territory and China has no locus standi.

Last month, Jaishankar said: "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."

Earlier, it also issued stapled visas for Indian Wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh, prompting a major backlash in India.