Beijing/New Delhi: China on Monday rejected India’s decision to formally identify 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh on official maps using standard Indian names, asserting that the move does not alter Beijing’s territorial claims over the region. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated during a press briefing that China does not recognize the state, referring to the area as “Zangnan,” and claimed that India’s naming action is invalid.
The response follows India’s update to the Survey of India map on Friday, aimed at ensuring accurate public identification and geographic awareness. Among the 27 locations formally mapped by New Delhi are strategically key sites including Long Ju, an early flashpoint along the Line of Actual Control in 1959, Maja village, Jairampur, and high-altitude mountain passes such as Thag La, Dzo La, Riza La, and Pukur La. The list also encompasses historical and cultural landmarks, including the Sher-e-Thapa Memorial, Jaswant Garh, Sambho Sarovar, and Buddhamandir.
India has consistently dismissed Beijing’s previous attempts to issue standardized names for locations in the region—a practice China began in 2017—as preposterous and baseless. New Delhi maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, emphasizing that unilateral naming exercises cannot alter ground realities or territorial sovereignty.
