Recently we read that China introduced new names for 15 different places in Arunachal Pradesh. Now, if you haven’t read the news read that line again. Yes! The more we read it the more bewildering it becomes for us to understand how can a country name something that it does not possess?
Well, if this was your thought process then you are in for a shock. According to the latest order by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China, 15 new standardized names, given to places in Arunachal Pradesh (named as South Tibet), will be used for official documentation purposes in China. We know that Arunachal Pradesh is an invaluable part of India which India would not part with at any cost involved. The Indian Army is stationed there, the place follows a democratic system of electing its leaders, and it is as much as a part of India as is New Delhi! Now, we need to understand the motive behind this new law as in principle this law holds no weight as it is not applicable to land under Indian Territory.
The motive behind the law is political. China wishes to play a psy-op with India. This law was introduced as a reaction to several mainstream Indian politicians meeting the Tibetan Government-in-exile. It’s thought to be a reaction to RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s visit to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in McLeodganj on December 21st, 2021. In Dharmshala, he also ran into members of Tibet’s Government in Exile.
China has been regularly opposed to all countries accepting Tibetan friendship. It has itself violated Tibetan airspace several times since early 2020. On the question of whether this changes anything within India, the straight answer would be no
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