China reasserts claim over Zangnan, rejects recognition of ‘Arunachal Pradesh’
Beijing: China’s Foreign Ministry has reiterated that Zangnan is Chinese territory and that it has never recognized the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India, amid renewed border tensions.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that it is entirely within China’s sovereignty to standardize the names of some places in the Zangnan region. The remarks came in response to questions over the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ rejection on Sunday of China’s action, which New Delhi claimed undermines efforts to stabilize ties between the two countries.
The response followed China’s release on April 10 of the sixth batch of standardized names in the Zangnan region. “Zangnan is China’s territory, and China has never recognized the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India,” Guo said. He added that, at present, China-India relations are generally stable and China’s policy committed to improving and developing China-India relations remains unchanged. “We hope the two sides will meet each other halfway and do more things that are conducive to bilateral relations,” Guo added.
Beijing continues to refer to the state as “Zangnan,” or Southern Tibet, maintaining that the region was illegally set up by India. The Foreign Ministry has reaffirmed its position following incidents involving travellers from Arunachal Pradesh, including a recent diplomatic row over the detention of a traveller from the state, whom China claimed was handled “according to the law.”
