India on Sunday strongly rejected China’s “mischievous attempts” to rename certain places in Arunachal Pradesh, saying such actions and attempts to create baseless stories do not change the “undeniable reality” that these areas are an integral part of Indian territory.
It also urged China to avoid steps that could increase tensions in bilateral ties and hinder efforts aimed at improving mutual understanding.
New Delhi issued a response following reports of Beijing announcing Chinese names for several places in Arunachal Pradesh.
“India categorically rejects any mischievous attempts by the Chinese side to assign fictitious names to places that form part of India’s territory. Such attempts by China to plant false claims and create baseless narratives cannot change the undeniable reality that these places and territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, were, are and will always remain an integral part of the Ministry of External Affairs and India spoke about Jawal. he said.
He added: “These actions by the Chinese side detract from ongoing efforts to stabilize and normalize bilateral relations between India and China. China should refrain from actions that bring negativity into relations and undermine efforts for better understanding.”
New Delhi’s protest against Beijing’s creation of districts
This diplomatic response comes amid ongoing tensions between India and China over territorial issues in Ladakh. Friction has intensified after Beijing created a new administrative unit in the Xinjiang region, which is located near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The newly created county, called “Cenling”, was approved by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region government on March 26 and will be under the administration of Kashgar Prefecture, according to the South China Morning Post. The move is located near the Karakoram Range and is of strategic importance due to its proximity to Afghanistan and PoK.
This is the third case in more than a year that China has established a new region in Xinjiang. New Delhi had earlier lodged formal protests with Beijing over the creation of ‘Hean’ and ‘Hekang’ districts, claiming that parts of the territory claimed by China fall within the Indian union territory of Ladakh, reports ANI.
The “Hean District” is said to include a substantial part of the Aksai Chin Plateau. Although the area has been under Chinese control since the Sino-Indian War, India continues to consider it an integral part of Ladakh, making it a key point of contention between the two nations.
The administrative center of the region, Kashgar, is a historical center along the Silk Road and serves as an important gateway connecting China to South and Central Asia. It is also the starting point of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a major infrastructure initiative that runs through PoK, a route India has consistently opposed over sovereignty concerns.
While the exact administrative boundaries of “Cenling” have not been disclosed, its location near strategically sensitive areas highlights growing concerns about the ongoing reorganization of Chinese administrative units along disputed border areas.
