13/04/2026
China’s ‘fictitious naming’ won’t change reality: Gaurav slams Beijing over new county near Arunachal, PoK
China can rename maps, not realities: Gaurav
JAMMU, April 13: BJP spokesperson and Convenor, International Affairs, Gaurav Gupta on Monday launched a blistering attack on China over its latest move to create and rename administrative regions near Arunachal Pradesh and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, calling Beijing a “repeated offender and habitual liar” engaged in “manufacturing geography to suit its expansionist agenda.”
Reacting to reports of China establishing a new county—Cenling—in its Xinjiang region near the strategically sensitive Wakhan Corridor, Gupta said the move is part of a “well-calculated geopolitical design” aimed at reinforcing illegitimate territorial claims and altering facts on the ground through propaganda.
“China believes that by renaming places and creating new administrative units, it can rewrite geography. But let me state unequivocally false claims will not alter reality,” Gupta asserted.
He emphasized that the development is not an isolated incident but part of a consistent pattern, recalling Beijing’s earlier attempts to create Hean and Hekang counties in areas overlapping with India’s claimed territory in Ladakh, including parts of Aksai Chin. Gupta said these actions clearly demonstrate China’s intent to “incrementally expand control while masking it under administrative restructuring.”
Gupta further underlined that the newly created county’s proximity to the Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip connecting Afghanistan to Xinjiang highlights China’s security-driven motives, including concerns over Uyghur militancy and regional instability. However, he warned that such justifications cannot legitimize encroachments into disputed or sovereign territories.
Reaffirming India’s firm stance, Gupta declared, “Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of Chinese propaganda or ‘fictitious naming’ exercises can change this undeniable truth.”
Drawing sharp parallels with Pakistan, Gupta accused China of adopting Islamabad’s long-standing strategy of pushing baseless claims over Jammu & Kashmir and PoK. He described the growing alignment between the two countries as a “chor-chor alliance,” alleging a coordinated attempt to distort facts and challenge India’s territorial sovereignty.
“This nexus between China and Pakistan is not coincidental. It reflects a deeper, strategic collusion aimed at creating confusion, spreading misinformation, and undermining India’s territorial integrity,” he said.
Gupta also termed the move provocative and destabilizing, warning that such actions risk escalating tensions in an already sensitive region. “This is not diplomacy; this is deception. It is a deliberate attempt to provoke and test India’s resolve,” he added.
Calling on the international community to take serious note of what he described as China’s “pattern of repeated violations and narrative manipulation,” Gupta said India will continue to respond firmly and decisively to any such attempts.
He concluded by reiterating that India remains fully committed to safeguarding its sovereignty and will not allow any distortion of facts or geography to succeed.
