(TibetanReview.net, Sep27’24) – On the basis of its claim that Tibet “belongs” to it and, by extension, Arunachal Pradesh too, China has called the recent scaling of a hitherto unclimbed peak in the Indian state by a team of Indian mountaineers and its naming of it after the 6th Dalai Lama of Tibet “illegal”.
A team of 15 members from the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) successfully climbed the 20,942-foot-high, previously unclimbed peak in a 15-day expedition and named it as the “Tsangyang Gyatso Peak”.
NIMAS, based in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh, operates under the ministry of defence, noted the hindustantimes.com Sep 27.
In a press release, the defence ministry stated that naming the peak after the 6th Dalai Lama pays homage to his enduring wisdom and significant contributions to the Monpa community and beyond.
China has condemned the entire exercise, calling it “illegal and null and void”.
While noting he was not aware of the entire exercise, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian has told a media briefing, “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.”
“Zangnan” is Chinese for “southern Tibet”. China claims that the state belongs to it on the basis of its claim over Tibet. India recognized Tibet as an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China but denies that this includes Arunachal Pradesh also.
India has not yet reacted to China’s remarks but has maintained that Arunachal Pradesh was an integral part of India and assigning “invented” names does not alter this reality, noted indiatoday.in Sep 27, referring to China’s renaming of places in the state in recent years.
Meanwhile, Arunachal Chief Minister Mr Pema Khandu has extended his wishes to the NIMAS team for its achievement.
“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.