Editorial: Beijing back to old dirty game

China must realise that merely rechristening some places in Arunachal Pradesh will not alter the ground reality

China is back to playing its old tricks. Its latest move to rename parts of Arunachal Pradesh is a crude attempt to reiterate its claim on the State, which has been and will continue to remain an integral part of India. Beijing calls Arunachal Pradesh ‘Zangnan’ and keeps claiming it as the southern part of Tibet. This is a vain and preposterous move that is particularly provocative as it came in the middle of the India-Pakistan tensions over the horrific Pahalgam tragedy and the retaliatory ‘Operation Sindoor’. It must be pointed out that China has fully backed Pakistan. Apparently, Beijing has done it not only to distract India but also to show solidarity with Islamabad. Also, the Chinese state-run media merrily chose to peddle the Pakistani propaganda regarding its military strikes on Indian targets. Beijing must realise that merely rechristening some places in the North-Eastern State will not make any difference to its status nor will it alter the ground reality. It has released a list of 30 ‘standardised’ names of places in Arunachal Pradesh. This provocative action falls into a familiar pattern that China has adopted to demonstrate its territorial hegemony in the region and beyond. India has repeatedly rejected the assertions, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar saying that these were ludicrous to begin with and remain ludicrous today. Beijing’s actions make it imperative for India to expeditiously ramp up infrastructure in Arunachal. In the last few years, China has been flexing its muscles by stepping up construction activity along the Himalayan frontier, sparking major security concerns in India.

Construction of bases, including new dual-use airports, has also gathered pace ever since the Galwan Valley clash. It is also building islands in the South China Sea and contesting territorial claims of neighbours in the East China Sea. Last year, Jaishankar had asked a pointed question, “If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine?” Without answering it, Beijing has once again — fourth year in a row — gone ahead with the “standardisation” of geographical names. Opening of Sela tunnel, providing an all-weather connectivity to Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang and facilitating faster movement of troops in the frontier region could have prompted Beijing to up the ante. The Chinese leadership was also left fuming when the United States reaffirmed Arunachal as Indian territory and opposed any ‘unilateral attempts’ by China to advance its territorial claims across the Line of Actual Control (LAC). It’s obvious that China is keeping up the façade of dialogue and communication while sticking to its intransigent position when it comes to border issues. While it is imperative for both nations to remain in regular contact through diplomatic and military channels, India cannot afford to let its guard down given the Chinese duplicity. New Delhi needs to be more vigilant to safeguard peace in the border areas.