China protests India's naming of peak after 6th Dalai Lama in Arunachal
New Delhi: China has expressed strong objection to Indian mountaineers naming a previously unnamed peak in Arunachal Pradesh after the 6th Dalai Lama, reaffirming its long-standing territorial claims over the disputed region.
A team from the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS), a government-run institution, successfully scaled the 20,942-foot-high peak in Arunachal Pradesh and decided to honor the 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, who was born in the Mon Tawang region in 1682.
The Defense Ministry justified the decision, stating that naming the peak after the 6th Dalai Lama was a fitting tribute to his wisdom and contributions to the Monpa community and beyond.
However, China responded to the move, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stating that the area of Zangnan, China's name for Arunachal Pradesh, is indisputably Chinese territory.
He further asserted that India's establishment of the state of Arunachal Pradesh within the disputed region is illegal and null and void.
"Let me say more broadly that the area of Zangnan is Chinese territory, and it’s illegal, and null and void for India to set up the so-called "Arunachal Pradesh" in Chinese territory. This has been China's consistent position," he said.
China has been actively renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh since 2017 as part of its efforts to assert its territorial claims over the region. The latest incident underscores the ongoing tensions between the two countries over the disputed border.