MEA says repeated attempts cannot alter ground reality, urges Beijing to avoid actions that strain ties
New Delhi: India has strongly pushed back against China’s latest move to assign new names to locations in Arunachal Pradesh. Calling the exercise “mischievous” and disconnected from reality, they firmly oppose the attempt.
Responding to recent reports, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said such attempts “manufacture baseless narratives” and cannot change the facts on the ground. “These places and territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, were, are, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” he asserted.
China has reportedly released another list renaming multiple locations in the state, which it refers to as “Zangnan.” This marks the latest in a series of similar actions taken in recent years, including earlier lists issued in 2017, 2021, 2023, and 2025.
New Delhi also warned that such steps risk undermining ongoing efforts to stabilise ties between the two countries. “China should refrain from actions which inject negativity into relations and weaken efforts towards better understanding,” Jaiswal said.
The development comes against the backdrop of a long-standing boundary dispute along the Line of Actual Control, where both sides continue to assert competing claims.
India has consistently rejected Beijing’s position, maintaining administrative control over Arunachal Pradesh while reiterating its sovereignty. Officials view these renaming exercises as symbolic assertions that do little to impact the actual situation on the ground but add strain to already fragile bilateral relations.
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