Shillong, June 4: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday dismissed China’s repeated claims over the frontier state, saying Beijing’s assertions were nothing new and carried little significance for people on the ground.
“China claiming Arunachal Pradesh is not a new thing for us and we don’t give a damn to it. We do not take it seriously,” Khandu told reporters on the sidelines of the 73rd plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Shillong.
The remarks came as China continues to reiterate its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing refers to as “Zangnan” or South Tibet. Over the years, Chinese authorities have repeatedly released lists assigning Chinese names to locations within Arunachal Pradesh, including mountains, rivers, residential areas and mountain passes. India has consistently rejected these moves, maintaining that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of the country.
Khandu also revived a formulation he has used in the past, asserting that Arunachal Pradesh shares a border with Tibet and not China.
“Arunachal Pradesh is very secure, and we do not share a border with China. We share a border with Tibet,” he said, while highlighting what he described as significant improvements in border infrastructure over the past decade.
The chief minister said comparisons with the situation that existed during the 1962 India-China war were misplaced, arguing that road connectivity, logistics and military infrastructure along the northern frontier had undergone substantial changes in recent years. He credited the Centre’s focus on border development for making remote frontier regions more accessible and strengthening strategic preparedness.
China’s claim over Arunachal Pradesh is longstanding, but Beijing has intensified symbolic assertions in recent years through periodic releases of so-called “standardised names” for locations inside the state. Lists were issued in 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and again this year, covering dozens of geographical features and settlements. India has routinely dismissed the exercise, arguing that inventing names does not alter facts on the ground.
Khandu’s latest remarks signal growing confidence within Arunachal Pradesh’s political leadership, which increasingly frames China’s claims as a recurring diplomatic ritual rather than an immediate concern.
For residents of the border state, the chief minister suggested, the debate is settled.
“China claiming Arunachal Pradesh is not a new thing for us,” he said. “We don’t give a damn to it.”
