Renaming of Arunachal peak illegal: China

Guwahati: Days after an Indian mountaineering team scaled an unnamed and unconquered peak in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang region and named it after the sixth Dalai Lama, a furious China on Thursday hit out at what it called an illegal operation in "Chinese territory".

A team of 15 mountaineers from the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) in Dirang successfully scaled the peak last Saturday, and named it “Tsangyang Gyatso Peak” in honour of Tsangyang Gyatso (17th-18th century CE), the sixth Dalai Lama, who was born in Tawang.

While the Army sends several adventure expeditions, many see these as dual-purpose endeavours aimed also at rebuffing the claims of China on Arunachal Pradesh. China insists on calling the Indian state ‘Zangnan’.

Naming the peak after the 6th Dalai Lama would not have also gone down well with the Chinese who have tried to belittle the significance of the institution which serves as a reminder of Tibet's existence as an independent entity before it was grabbed by Beijing.

A defence ministry statement saying the choice of name of the 6th Dalai Lama is a tribute to his timeless wisdom and his profound contributions to the Monpa community and beyond, seemed to rub it in.

When asked for his reaction, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing in Beijing: "I'm not aware of what you mentioned."

"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.

(With inputs from agencies)

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