‘Arunachal Is An Integral Part Of India’: MEA Rejects China’s Objection Over 27 Place Names

India on Tuesday rejected China’s objections to New Delhi formally identifying 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names on official maps, reiterating that Beijing’s claims cannot change the status of the northeastern state.

“Arunachal is an inalienable and integral part of India. This is a fact which is self-evident and nothing can change this reality,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to China’s remarks.

The latest exchange follows the government’s decision to formally mark 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh with standard names on the Survey of India map. The locations include mountain passes, settlements and a high-altitude lake, as well as Long Ju along the Line of Actual Control, an area associated with an early India-China border confrontation in 1959.

The government has said formally identifying these places is intended to ensure their accurate recognition and improve public awareness.

China Calls India’s Move ‘Illegal, Null And Void’

Beijing objected to the exercise on Monday and reiterated its territorial claim over Arunachal Pradesh, which China refers to as “Zangnan”.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China does not recognise what it calls the “so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India”.

“India’s move of attempting to replace names long been used by China with its so-called ‘standard names’ is illegal, null and void,” Guo said, adding that it would not alter China’s claim over the region.

China has repeatedly issued its own names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territorial claims. In April 2026, Beijing released another batch of standardised Chinese names for places in the state. At the time, Guo said issuing such names was within what China considers its “sovereign rights”.

India has consistently rejected these exercises. Responding to Beijing’s April move, the MEA described the assignment of Chinese names to Indian locations as “mischievous attempts” to create “false claims and manufacturing baseless narratives”.

The ministry said such actions could not change the “undeniable reality” that Arunachal Pradesh “was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India”. It also warned that such actions could undermine efforts to stabilise India-China relations.

India, China Continue Border Talks

The latest disagreement comes days after India and China held another round of talks on managing their disputed boundary.

The 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs was held in New Delhi on August 6. The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control and discussed border management and other outstanding issues.

India reiterated during the meeting that peace and tranquillity in border areas remained essential for the broader development of bilateral relations.

The two countries also agreed to continue communication through existing diplomatic and military mechanisms, including the WMCC and commander-level meetings, to address outstanding matters and reduce the possibility of misunderstanding or miscalculation along the LAC.

New Delhi has repeatedly maintained that developments along the border cannot be separated from the wider India-China relationship.