Mr. Khandu’s remarks come at a time when Beijing continues its repeated provocations and expansionist moves along India’s borders—particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as 'Zangnan' or 'Southern Tibet'. But the Chief Minister’s clarification underlines a reality that India has long maintained: the region shares its cultural and geographical boundaries with Tibet, a sovereign nation that was forcefully annexed by China in the 1950s. “Officially, yes, Tibet is under China now. That can't be ruled out... but originally we shared a border with Tibet,” Khandu added, drawing a clear line between colonial occupation and historical fact.
This verbal precision strike is especially significant given China’s recent antics of renaming Indian territories to suit its narrative. From the 2023 release of a so-called “standard map” that showed Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh’s Aksai Chin region as Chinese territory, to the 2024 renaming of 30 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, Beijing has persisted in its attempts to rewrite geography and history alike. India, however, has stood firm, with the Ministry of External Affairs branding such moves “preposterous” and “absurd.” In May this year, when China once again attempted to rename areas within Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian government asserted unequivocally that “creative naming won’t alter the undeniable reality… Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.”
Mr. Khandu’s statement gains further resonance against this backdrop of aggressive Chinese posturing. He clarified that Arunachal shares three international boundaries—approximately 150 km with Bhutan, around 550 km with Myanmar, and the longest with Tibet. Notably, China does not feature on this list. His words reflect not just a geographical correction but a geopolitical message: that India does not recognize China’s illegal occupation of Tibet as a justification for altering international borders.
This isn’t the first time Beijing has tried to assert control over Indian territories through psychological warfare, maps, or renaming campaigns. In fact, as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar noted in an earlier interview, China has developed a “habit” of releasing such maps, which, in his words, change nothing. “Making absurd claims does not make other people's territories yours,” he said, capturing the sentiment of millions of Indians.
With Pema Khandu’s unapologetic and historically grounded stance, India has once again reminded the world of its sovereign rights and the futility of China’s cartographic aggression. In many ways, this rebuttal marks a turning point—where Beijing's misinformation campaign has met an immovable wall of truth. And this time, it came not just from New Delhi, but from the very land it falsely claims as its own.
