Our Bureau
New Delhi
India on Tuesday rejected China’s objection to its decision to formally identify 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh on the official Indian map, asserting that the northeastern state is an “integral and inalienable” part of the country and that no action by Beijing can alter this reality.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s position on Arunachal Pradesh was clear and consistent. “Arunachal is an inalienable and integral part of India,” he said, adding that this was a self-evident fact that could not be changed.
India’s latest move comes after China objected to the identification of the 27 locations by their standard names. Beijing described New Delhi’s action as “illegal, null and void” and reiterated its claim over what it refers to as the “Zangnan” region.
The Indian government said the formal identification of the locations on the Survey of India map was intended to facilitate their accurate recognition and improve public awareness about them. One of the locations is Long Ju, situated near the Line of Actual Control. The area was among the early flashpoints in India-China relations, witnessing the entry of Chinese forces in 1959.
New Delhi has repeatedly rejected China’s practice of assigning its own names to places in Arunachal Pradesh. India has maintained that such attempts cannot alter the status of territories that have always been part of the country.
China has periodically released lists of Chinese names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh since 2017, as part of its claims over the region. The latest such list was released in April this year.
India has described these naming exercises as attempts to create a false narrative and has maintained that they should not affect efforts to stabilise and normalise bilateral relations.
The latest exchange highlights the continuing disagreement between the two countries over Arunachal Pradesh, even as both sides seek to manage wider relations along their disputed border.