Assam, Arunachal governors celebrate New Year near occupied Tibet border in rebuff to China

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The Governors of the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, Mr Jagdish Mukhi and Brig (Retd) BD Mishra, celebrating the New Year at the border between India and Chinese occupied Tibet. (Photo courtesy: Northeast Now)

(TibetanReview.net, Jan02’22) – The Governors of the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, Mr Jagdish Mukhi and Brig (Retd) BD Mishra, have celebrated the New Year at the border between India and Chinese occupied Tibet in a strong message to China, following its renaming of 15 places in Arunachal to assert its extra-territorial claim.

The Assam governor was on a four-day visit to the neighbouring border state and he joined Mishra to celebrate the New Year at Kaho – the easternmost village of India – in Arunachal Pradesh, reported nenow.in Jan 2.

The two governors have interacted with soldiers and officials posted at Kibithu in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh. 

“It is because of the preparedness and grit of our troops in the borders that our frontiers are safe,” Brig (Retd) Mishra has said.

The report noted that the visit of the two governors had come just a day after China again claimed Arunachal to be its territory “since the ancient times”.

On Dec 30, China renamed 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it called Zangnan or the “southern part of Tibet”, in standard pinyin spellings, claiming it was “China’s territory since the ancient times”.

The Assam governor was on a four-day visit to the neighbouring border state and he joined Brig (Retd) BD Mishra Governor of Assam to celebrate the New Year at Kaho – the easternmost village of India – in Arunachal Pradesh. (Photo courtesy: Northeast Now)

India rubbished the Chinese move, saying Arunachal Pradesh has “always been” and will “always be” an integral part of India and that assigning “invented” names does not alter this fact.

On Dec 31, China reiterated legal and historical right to manage, including by renaming, places in the Indian state. “For standardised management of the area, the competent authorities in China in accordance with relevant regulations have published the names for the relevant area. These are matters that are within China’s sovereignty,” said Zhao Lijian, China’s foreign ministry spokesman.

Zhao was apparently referring to China’s newly enacted land border law which was to come into force on Jan 1, 2022. 

The “Land Border Law of the People’s Republic of China” was adopted by the Standing Committee of China’s 13th National People’s Congress on Oct 23, 2021.

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