China now claims 'sovereignty' over 'renamed' places

China has claimed its 'sovereignty' over Arunachal Pradesh after India outrightly rejected Beijing's attempt to rename places in the state on Tuesday.

"Zangnan (Arunachal Pradesh) is part of China's territory. In accordance with relevant stipulations of the administration of geographical names of the State Council, competent authorities of the Chinese government have standardised the names of some parts of Zangnan. This is within China's sovereign rights," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a regular press conference.

India's reaction came in response to Beijing announcing Chinese names for 11 more places in Arunachal Pradesh which the neighbouring country claims as southern part Tibet.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India outrightly rejected China's renaming of the places in Arunachal Pradesh.

"We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright," Bagchi said.

"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," he said.

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 while the second batch of 15 places was issued in 2021.

The official names of the 11 places were released on Sunday by China's ministry of civil affairs.

It also gave precise coordinates, including two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers and listed the category of places' names and their subordinate administrative districts, state-run Global Times reported on Monday.

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.

The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a nearly three-year-long confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement of troops from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

With inputs from agencies