The Survey of India recently released its updated map standardizing names of 27 places, including geographical features, in Arunachal Pradesh. The list includes land areas, passes, a lake, a memorial and a few places under illegal Chinese o cc upation since 1962. The government statement said: “Identifying them formally on the Survey of India map of Arunachal Pradesh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large.”

Beijing, considering it as a counter to its similar earlier actions, reacted immediately, ignoring that it had commenced cartographic warfare against India as an extension of its lawfare strategy, which could subsequently be exploited to add credence to its claims. In 2024, responding to one such Chinese exercise, External Affairs minister S Jaishankar had responded, “If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine? Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be a state of India.

Changing names does not have an effect.” The Global Times, the Chinese government mouthpiece, admitted to Beijing’s actions by mentioning, “China has b e en carr ying out standardization of geographical names in the region for a long time.” Since 2017, China’s ministry of civil affairs has issued fresh names of 112 places in Arunachal, in a total of six releases, the latest having been in April this year. China also objects every time a senior government member or an ambassador visits Arunachal, a protest dismissed by New Delhi. China believes that it alone has the right to change names of places within Arunachal which it terms as ‘Zangnan.’

It considers Arunachal as South Tibet, (Xi)Zang implies Tibet and Nan is South, thus Zangnan. The names it releases correspond to Tibetan names, with no historical linkages. The fact is that Tibet is itself illegally occupied by China. Why is China screaming from the rooftops on Indian actions? When Beijing changed names of places in Arunachal on multiple occasions, it was linking them to Tibetan terminology; hence, when questione d, its spokesperson mentioned: “This is within China’s sovereign........

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