India Slams China’s “Preposterous” Renaming Of Places In Arunachal Pradesh (image/googlemaps)
New Delhi: India on Wednesday slammed China’s “vain and preposterous” attempts to rename some places in Arunachal Pradesh. India’s response comes after Beijing released “standard” Chinese names for some places in Arunachal Pradesh.
The renaming of 27 places covered various geographical features, including 15 mountains, five residential areas, four mountain passes, two rivers, and one lake. This is the fifth time China has renamed places within Arunachal Pradesh.
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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement, “Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.”
“We have noticed that China has persisted with its vain and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Consistent with our principled position, we reject such attempts categorically,” the MEA statement said.
Our response to media queries on renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh by China (May 14, 2025)
🔗 https://t.co/5XtzF8ImUJ pic.twitter.com/1edyuqRpog
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) May 14, 2025
Most of the places on the list are on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), an informal boundary between Chinese and Indian-controlled territory. It is loosely based on the McMahon Line, drawn during British colonial rule, but each side has different views of where that line runs.
China has long claimed that the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh is part of its own territory, referring to it as “South Tibet”.
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Starting in 2017, China has periodically released a list of Chinese names for towns, villages, and geographical features in the state, issuing stapled visas instead of stamped visas to residents of Arunachal Pradesh. China also opposes infrastructure and development projects by India in the area.
The move comes at a time when India’s understanding with Pakistan remains fragile.
