China issued a statement Thursday, September 26, condemning an Indian climbing team's plan to name a previously unnamed peak in Arunachal Pradesh after the 6th Dalai Lama. During a media briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lin Jian stated, "It is illegal and null and void for India to establish the so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh' on Chinese territory."

This declaration follows an expedition by the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS), which is part of the Ministry of Defence. Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal led a team that successfully ascended an unidentified mountain measuring 20,942 feet in Arunachal Pradesh and named it after the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso. The Dalai Lama was born in 1682 in the Mon Tawang region.

As per the Defence Ministry's press release, the purpose of designating the peak after the Sixth Dalai Lama was to honour his timeless knowledge and noteworthy contributions to the Monpa people and other regions.

6th Dalai Lama
Image Source: nimasdirang.com

Pema Khandu, the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, commended the NIMAS team for their accomplishment in the interim. “Led by Director Ranveer Jamwal, they’ve successfully summited an untamed peak in the Gorichen Massif of Mon Tawang Region of Arunachal Pradesh, reaching an impressive 6,383 meters!” he wrote on X.

Lin Jian responded to the naming by saying that he didn't know the precise meaning of the name. "Let me say more broadly that the area of Zangnan is Chinese territory… This has been China’s consistent position," he continued.

Dispute Over Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh is regarded by China as a component of South Tibet. Beijing has been renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh—which it refers to as Zangnan—since 2017 in an effort to bolster its claims to the region, claiming that it is a "inherent part of China's territory."

However, India has consistently rejected China's claim to Arunachal Pradesh, claiming that the state is an "integral" and "inalienable" component of the country.

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