US on Arunachal Pradesh: Two days after China renamed 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, the United States made it clear that it recognises the state as an integral part of India. The White House also said that it strongly opposes any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by renaming localities in India's northeastern state. Earlier on Sunday, April 2, China’s Ministry of civil affairs released the official names of the 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh.
"The United States has recognised that territory (Arunachal Pradesh) for a long time as an integral part of India. And we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by renaming localities,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a press conference.
India outrightly rejects China renaming places in Arunachal
Meanwhile, India on Tuesday outrightly rejected China renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of India and assigning “invented” names does not alter this reality.
ALSO READ: China announces renaming of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh; third set released in past 5 years
“We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
ALSO READ: India on China's move of renaming of places in Arunachal: 'We reject this outright'
China's attempts to change geographical names for Arunachal
Notably, it was the third batch of standardised geographical names for Arunachal Pradesh issued by China’s civil affairs ministry. The first batch of the standardised names of six places in Arunachal Pradesh was released in 2017 and the second batch of 15 places was issued in 2021.
It is pertinent to mention here that China’s renaming of the places in Arunachal Pradesh came in the midst of the lingering eastern Ladakh border standoff that began in May 2020. Following the standoff, India bolstered its overall military preparedness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Arunachal Pradesh sector as well.
(With inputs from PTI)
