Detention, name-changing and now harassment: Jaishankar's Arunachal analogy seems lost on China

India has repeatedly clarified that Arunachal Pradesh is an intergral part of the country.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar recently used an interesting analogy to describe China's "ludicrous" claims on Arunachal Pradesh, saying that "changing the name of someone’s house does not make it yours". The reaction came after China changed the name of dozens of places in Arunachal Pradesh, a state that is an unequivocal part of India.

The country has often resorted to far-fetched means to assert its claims over the state, which it recognises as its own.

Last week, a woman who hailed from the state fell victim to China's machinations. A three-hour transit at Shanghai airport turned into a harrowing 18-hour ordeal for Prema Wangjom Thongdokan, an Arunachal Pradesh-born UK resident.

Her layover turned into a debate over territorial sovereignty after Chinese officials refused to allow her to transit through the country and insisted her birthplace was part of Chinese territory.

"They said Arunachal is part of China, not India," Thongdok said.

The episode once again underscored the fragility of India-China ties despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to stabilise relations post the 2020 Ladakh standoff.

Following this incident, India issued a “strong demarche” to China both in New Delhi and Beijing. However, China denied the allegation of the woman being harassed.

China also reasserted its claims over Arunachal Pradesh. Mao Ning, a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson, said at a regular news briefing that her country “never acknowledges the so-called Arunachal Pradesh”. “‘Zangnan’ is China’s territory. The Chinese side has never recognised the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India,” said Ning.

Zangnan, the name that China uses for Arunachal Pradesh, means “southern Tibet.”

This is not the only time that China has harassed Arunachal residents for a simple reason that they belong to an Indian state Beijing refuses to recognise.

Minister Anurag Thakur in 2023 cancelled his scheduled visit to China after three Indian women wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh were denied entry into China for the 19th Asian Games. This was when ties between India and China were strained.

The players were not allowed to board their flight to China. They were unable to download their accreditation cards which act as visas to enter China.  They were issued “stapled visas” by the Chinese embassy, which led to the entire team being held back while the players from other sports left the country.

In 2016, Bamang Tago, who was a manager for the Indian badminton team, was denied a Chinese visa.

Names for Arunachal Pradesh

Besides diplomatic actions, China has also been using other ways to assert its dominance over territory that is an inherent part of India.

On April 14, 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs issued “official” Chinese names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh. This was a “first batch” of “standardised” names, the Chinese had said at the time. The six names, written in the Roman alphabet, were “Wo’gyainling”, “Mila Ri”, “Qoidengarbo Ri”, “Mainquka”, “Bumo La” and “Namkapub Ri”.

In December 2021, a “second list” of 15 “standardised Chinese names” for places in Arunachal Pradesh was released. Both in 2017 and 2021, China provided the latitudes and longitudes of these places.

On April 2, 2023, China issued a so-called “third list” of “standardised geographical names” for 11 places. It included a town close to Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh.

In 2024, the Chinese Civil Affairs Ministry posted on its website a list of 30 “new names” for places in Arunachal Pradesh.

In May this year, China once again attempted to rename 27 places in the northeastern state.

Why does China claim Arunachal as its own?

China does not accept McMahon Line, the boundary between Tibet and British India that was agreed at the Simla Convention in 1914. The line was drawn by Sir Henry McMahon, the foreign secretary of the British- Indian government who was acting as the chief negotiator in the Shimla conference between Britain, China and Tibet. The Chinese representative did not consent to the Simla Convention.

The land south of Tibet was declared as British India. This made the Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh a part of India. Historically, this area was known as south Tibet. In 1950, Tibet lost its status as an independent territory and India took control of the area.  China  began to raise the claim after it annexed Tibet.

India has repeatedly clarified that Arunachal Pradesh is an intergral part of the country.

The Ministry of External Affairs has issued multiple statements, most recently in May, categorically rejecting China’s “creative naming” of places in Arunachal Pradesh. It said that such actions do not change the ground reality or India’s sovereignty.