The root of the latest bout can be traced to the inauguration of the Sela Tunnel, an all-weather tunnel constructed at 13000 feet, which will boost the Indian capacity to move troops and goods faster.
Author
Gunjan Singh, Assistant Professor, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.
Summary
In the recent war of words between India and China, the central point of contention is Arunachal Pradesh. China has continued to change the names of multiple places, and issue maps which show Arunachal Pradesh as part of a Chinese territory called Zangnan.
Recently, Beijing changed the names of 30 places including residential areas, mountains, rivers and lakes. However, the Indian response has been very clear and consistent. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted that “changing names will not do anything.”
The India foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, too reiterated, “Our position has been made very clear time and again. China may repeat its baseless claims as many times as they want. That is not going to change the position of India. Arunachal Pradesh was is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.”
Even Rajnath Singh made statements underscoring that if India changed the names of Chinese places, they would not become Indian.
This is not the first time China has undertaken such steps. In August 2023, Beijing released maps highlighting Arunachal as part of Chinese territory.
The ongoing standoff and the failure of all the talks show that both sides are not keen to give in to the other’s demands.
The root cause today is infrastructure.
Published in: The Quint
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