India Rejects as China Assigns Names to Places in Arunachal Pradesh Again
New Delhi: India on Wednesday (May 14) rejected China's attempt to assign names to more locations in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that such "creative naming" would not change the fact that the state is an integral part of the country.
On Sunday, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs released the fifth batch of standardised geographical names for Arunachal Pradesh. This follows previous releases, including 30 names in March 2025, 11 in April 2023, 15 in an earlier batch, and six in the first list issued in 2021 and 2017, respectively.
Responding to the move, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had “noticed China’s persistent, vain, and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.”
Also read: For the Third Time, China Renames Places in Arunachal Pradesh
“Consistent with our principled position, we categorically reject such attempts. Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” Jaiswal stated.
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reiterated China’s claim that the region, referred to as ‘Zangnan’ by Beijing, is part of Chinese territory. “Zangnan is part of China’s territory. The Chinese government has standardized the names of some parts of Zangnan. This is within China’s sovereign rights,” Lin said.
According to the South China Morning Post, the fifth list released on Sunday included 27 geographical features, covering mountains, rivers, lakes, mountain passes, and residential areas.
The report noted that each feature was named in Chinese characters, Tibetan and Pinyin, accompanied by coordinates and a high-resolution map.
“In accordance with the relevant provisions of the State Council [China’s cabinet] on the management of geographical names, we, in conjunction with the relevant departments, have standardised some of the geographical names in Zangnan of China,” the Chinese ministry said, as quoted by SCMP.
The move comes at a time when ties between India and China had begun to improve, following the resolution of the four-year military stand-off in Eastern Ladakh last year.
The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
