China’s attempt to rename Indian territory shows how it thinks about international law
The Indian ExpressApr 11, 2023
China Renames 30 Locations in Ongoing Dispute With India
The Facts
China has renamed 30 locations — 11 residential areas, 12 mountains, four rivers, one lake, a mountain pass, and one area of land — in a territory named by India as Arunachal Pradesh, and claimed by China as Zangnan.
China's Ministry of Civil Affairs published a list of standardized names and an accompanied map concerning the locations of the name changes in "Southern Tibet" on Sunday — the fourth of its kind.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
China's illegitimate renaming of locations in Arunachal Pradesh continues to disregard the basis of international law and shows open contempt for its neighbor. While Beijing attempts to use historical records and maps to support its claims, international jurisprudence indicates that cartographic materials alone hold no legal value in territorial disputes. China is continuing its bad-faith international behaviors.
Pro-China narrative
China is standardizing the names of places in Zangnan as part of a national effort to manage place names to reflect China's sovereignty rights. Contrary to Indian claims, experts emphasize the historical and administrative bases for these new names. The Land Border Law, effective Jan. 1, 2022, solidified China's stance on border management and sovereignty. Beijing is fully in its right to make these cartographic changes.
Nerd narrative
There is a 15% chance of a China-India war by 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.