Does China Claim Arunachal Pradesh? Why so?

China claims that Arunachal Pradesh is its part. Why so? Before coming to the reasons, let us first discuss some historical facts about Arunachal Pradesh.

A few things to know about Arunachal Pradesh

The northeast region of India consists of seven mesmerizing states, which are collectively called "seven sisters". Arunachal Pradesh is one of these seven sisters. One can trace the state's history back to the Neolithic era. It was in the 1st millennium BCE when the region of Arunachal Pradesh was inhabited by tribes like Adi, Mishmi, Nyishi, Monpa, Apatani, and more. Eventually, small independent kingdoms got organized out of these tribes. These small kingdoms often engaged in conflicts with each other. 

Next, Arunachal Pradesh came under the influence of empires in the medieval period. The Ahom Kingdom holds substantial significance in the history of Arunachal Pradesh.

The name of the state, Arunachal Pradesh, literally means "Land of the Rising Sun."

The reason why China claims Arunachal Pradesh

China claims that Arunachal Pradesh is South Tibet (Zangnan, as it calls it). China claims that the region of Arunachal Pradesh is a part of its territory. One reason why China claims Arunachal Pradesh is that it has cultural and historical links to Tibet. An adjoining district of Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang, holds a unique position in the culture of Tibet. Wondering how? Well, the Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, actually took birth in the Urgyeling town, which is near Tawang.  Moreover, the fourteenth Dalai Lama fled the Tiber through Tawang in the year 1959. Thus, China claims Arunachal to get its control over Tibet. In order to put its intentions public, China, time and again, brings forward fictitious maps depicting Arunachal Pradesh as China's part to strengthen its claim. Additionally, it also gives fresh names to locations in Arunachal Pradesh. Recently, China released fresh names for 11 locations in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Moreover, China makes use of its claim over Arunachal Pradesh as a strong bargaining chip to make India recognize Aksai Chin as a territory of China. Even in times of war in the year 1962, China put a substantial strategic value on the region of Aksai Chin, even more than NEFA. After the end of the war, China pulled back from NEFA but held the Aksai Chin. As a bargaining chip, in case China gets successful in acknowledging Aksai Chin as a territory of China, it is going to consider NEFA (i.e. Arunachal) as belonging to India. However, despite several efforts by China, India has kept a strong resolve in rejecting all of China's claims and holding that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the territory of India.

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