China has again asserted its claim over Arunachal Pradesh disputed territory bordering India by releasing a fresh list of renamed geographical locations, reigniting the decades old conflict over former North-Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA).
The disputed territory led to war between the two neighbors in 1962.
The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs released the fifth batch of standardized names for 27 locations in what it calls Zangnan, a region India governs as Arunachal Pradesh.
The list includes 15 mountains, five residential areas, four mountain passes, two rivers, and one lake.
Reacting to the statement from China, India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral part of India.”
The spokesperson reaffirmed New Delhi’s position saying, “We categorically reject China’s latest attempt to rename places inside our territory.”
China’s Foreign Ministry defended the renaming, claiming it falls under its sovereign rights.
Spokesperson Lin Jian said the naming of places in Zangnan was consistent with China’s historical claims and international law.
India considers the territory Zangnan to be part of its territory under the name Arunachal Pradesh whereas China regards it as part of southern Tibet.
This is not the first time China has taken such action.
In the past too, India had rejected batches of renaming.
New Delhi sees these symbolic moves as attempts to undermine its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Experts, including Qian Feng of Tsinghua University, argue the renaming aligns with China’s long-standing border stance, but New Delhi sees it as a provocation that has no legal basis.
The fourth batch of additions to the public use of geographical names in Zangnan was released in March 2024.
China and India engaged in deadly clashes across the Line of Actual Control in 2020 in the Galwan River valley in Ladakh.
The line runs about 3,488 kilometers from Ladakh in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east.
India claims Ladakh as its part while China claims Arnuchal Pradesh or Zangnan as its land.
