China claims that Arunachal Pradesh is part of it. Why? Before getting to the reasons, let us first discuss some historical facts about Arunachal Pradesh.
Some things to know about Arunachal Pradesh
Northeast India comprises seven enchanting states collectively known as the “seven sisters”. Arunachal Pradesh is one of these seven sisters. One can trace the history of the state back to the Neolithic period. It was in the 1st millennium BC when the Arunachal Pradesh region was inhabited by tribes like the Adi, Mishmi, Nyishi, Monpa, Apatani, etc. Eventually, small independent kingdoms were organized from the this tribe. These small kingdoms often came into conflict with each other.
Next, Arunachal Pradesh was influenced by medieval empires. The Ahom Kingdom was significant in the history of Arunachal Pradesh.
The state’s name, Arunachal Pradesh, literally means “Land of the Rising Sun”.
Why does China claim sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh?
China claims that Arunachal Pradesh is Southern Tibet (Zangnan, as they call it). China claims the Arunachal Pradesh region as part of its territory. One reason China claims sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh is because it has cultural and historical links with Tibet. An adjoining district of Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang, holds a unique place in Tibetan culture. Wondering how? Well, the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was actually born in the town of Urgyeling, near Tawang. Furthermore, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama fled the Tiber via Tawang in 1959. China thus declared Arunachal would gain control of Tibet. To make its intentions known, China has time and again produced fictitious maps depicting Arunachal Pradesh as part of China to strengthen its claim. Additionally, it also gave new names to places in Arunachal Pradesh. Recently, China announced new names for 11 locations in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
Furthermore, China uses its claim to Arunachal Pradesh as a powerful bargaining tool to get India to recognize Aksai Chin as Chinese territory. Even during the 1962 war, China placed a significant strategic value on the Aksai Chin region, even more so than NEFA. After the war ended, China withdrew from NEFA but kept Aksai Chin. As a bargaining chip, in case China succeeds in recognizing Aksai Chin as Chinese territory, it will consider NEFA (i.e. Arunachal) to belong to India. However, despite China’s many efforts, India still maintains its strong determination to reject all of China’s claims and maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is part of Indian territory.
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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: pagasa.edu.vn