The newly elected NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the renaming of 30 locations in Tibet. This move is a direct response to China for recent renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh. The names, based on historical research and ties to the Tibet region, will be released by the Indian army and updated on maps along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Relations between the two nations have been strained, except in trade, since the border standoff in eastern Ladakh began on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Tso area. Despite 21 rounds of military talks, the standoff remains unresolved.
Under Modi’s third term, India is asserting its territorial claims by renaming places in occupied Tibet, countering China’s nomenclature actions in Arunachal Pradesh from earlier this April, which India had strongly opposed.
The list of renamed places includes 11 residential areas, 12 mountains, four rivers, one lake, one mountain pass, and a piece of land, presented in Chinese characters, Tibetan, and pinyin. China’s earlier actions involved releasing standardized names for places in Arunachal Pradesh since 2017, with the most recent list containing nearly as many new names as the previous three combined.
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India has consistently reaffirmed that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of the country, despite China’s repeated claims. The Ministry of External Affairs has emphasized that assigning “invented” names does not change this reality. Tibet
Assuming office as Minister of External Affairs for the second time, S. Jaishankar today reaffirmed India’s strong stance on issues related to China and Pakistan, stating that the country will address both border issues and cross-border terrorism.
“As far as Pakistan and China are concerned, the relations with those countries are different, and the problems there are also different. Our focus with regard to China will be on finding a solution for the border issues and with Pakistan, we would want to find a solution to the issue of years-old cross-border terrorism,” Jaishankar said after assuming office.
