India has firmly rejected China’s latest objection to New Delhi’s decision to formally identify 27 geographical locations in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard Indian names. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated on Tuesday, August 11, that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, and said that attempts to dispute this reality cannot change the facts on the ground.
The Indian response came after China objected to India’s move to officially identify 27 places and geographical features in the northeastern state. Beijing has repeatedly claimed Arunachal Pradesh as part of what it calls “Zangnan” or “Southern Tibet”. China has also previously objected to Indian infrastructure projects and visits by senior Indian leaders to the state. However, what China is struggling to understand is that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.
India’s latest move involves formally recording the standard names of 27 locations on official Survey of India maps. The step comes amid years of diplomatic friction over China’s attempts to assign its own names to places in Arunachal Pradesh. India has consistently rejected such actions, maintaining that changing the names of locations cannot alter territorial sovereignty.
The latest exchange highlights the continuing sensitivity surrounding the India-China boundary dispute. Beijing has warned that India’s move could complicate ongoing border negotiations, while New Delhi has rightfully maintained that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and that its sovereignty over the state is not negotiable.
The naming issue is therefore more than a question of geography. China has previously released lists of alternative names for Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh, something which the Indian government has found absolutely unacceptable.
New Delhi’s latest response sends a clear message that cartographic or nomenclature changes cannot determine ownership of territory. At the same time, the MEA has stressed that peace and tranquillity along the India-China border remain important for the broader bilateral relationship.
India’s latest statement makes its position unequivocal; names may be changed on maps, but such moves cannot change the ground reality that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, and will always remain so, no matter what the Chinese think.
