3 weeks ago
India maps 27 Arunachal Pradesh sites to counter China's renaming
India and China are two big countries that share a mountain border.
There is a part of India called Arunachal Pradesh, high up in the mountains.
China says this land belongs to it and calls it Zangnan, meaning South Tibet.
China has been giving new Chinese names to towns, lakes and mountains in Arunachal Pradesh.
India does not agree with these new names and says they are wrong.
So India has now put the official Indian names of 27 special places on its official map.
Some of these places are high mountain passes, villages, a lake, and memorials for Indian soldiers who fought in a war with China long ago.
India says changing a name cannot change who owns the land.
The two countries have disagreed about this land for many years.
India also warned that the naming fight could make it harder for the two countries to be friends.
India formally identified 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names on the official Survey of India map, in consultation with the state government.
The move counters China's repeated issuance of Mandarin names for the region, which Beijing calls Zangnan and claims as part of southern Tibet.
Marked sites include Long Ju on the Line of Actual Control (a 1959 flashpoint), high-altitude passes Thag La, Dzo La, Riza La and Pukur La, and Jairampur, a logistics hub near the Myanmar frontier.
New Delhi called the renaming 'vain and preposterous', saying 'fictitious names' create 'baseless narratives' that cannot alter Arunachal Pradesh's status as an integral part of India.
China's Civil Affairs Ministry has issued naming lists since 2017 (6 in 2017, 15 in 2021, 11 in 2023), with reports citing 30 more in March 2024 or 23 in April 2026; India warned such moves could complicate bilateral ties.
- Who
- India's Ministry of Home Affairs and the Survey of India, acting with the Arunachal Pradesh state government; China's Civil Affairs Ministry, which publishes rival naming lists.
- What
- India formally identified 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard Indian names on the official Survey of India map.
- Where
- Arunachal Pradesh, India's northeastern state bordering China, Bhutan and Myanmar, which China calls Zangnan.
- When
- Announced on a Friday in an official statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Why
- To counter China's 'standardised' renaming of places in the region and reinforce that Arunachal Pradesh 'was, is, and will' always remain an integral part of India.
India
China
Sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh
India
Arunachal Pradesh 'was, is, and will' always remain an integral part of India, and China's claims cannot alter this 'undeniable reality'.
China
China refers to the region as Zangnan and claims it as part of southern Tibet, publishing its own 'standardised' names for places there.
Legitimacy of the naming exercises
India
China's renaming attempts are 'vain and preposterous' and use 'fictitious names' to create 'baseless narratives' with no legal bearing.
China
China presents its actions as issuing 'standardised' names for places in the region, a practice it has repeated in lists since 2017.
Key facts
- Locations identified
- 27 places and features in Arunachal Pradesh
- Official map
- Survey of India
- China's name for the region
- Zangnan (claimed as part of southern Tibet)
- Key sites identified
- Long Ju (LAC, 1959 flashpoint), Thag La, Dzo La, Riza La, Pukur La, Jairampur, Maja, Bisa, Sambho Sarovar
- War memorials included
- Jaswant Garh (memorial to Jaswant Singh Rawat) and Sher-e-Thapa Memorial; reports differ on the honoree's name (Trilok Singh Thapa vs Havildar Sher Bahadur Thapa)
- China's naming lists
- 6 (2017), 15 (2021), 11 (2023); one report cites 30 more (March 2024), another 23 (April 2026)
- India's response
- Renaming called 'vain and preposterous'; in 2025 the Ministry of External Affairs said 'creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality' of the state's status
- Incursion reports denied
- Chief Minister Pema Khandu and the Indian Army called media reports of a Chinese incursion or PLA camps 'incorrect and without basis'
Quotes
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
Indian government ministry overseeing internal security
“The Government of India, in consultation with the state government of Arunachal Pradesh, has identified a total of twenty-seven (27) places/ features located in Arunachal Pradesh, by standard place and feature names on the official maps of Survey of India (SoI).”
telegraphindia.com
“"We don't think there was an incursion as the Indian Army personnel are deployed and maintaining the territory. I have also urged the local tribes; I will hear them and also talk to the army."”
livemint.com
Sources
India formally names 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh amid China's renaming claims - Telegraph India
India officially maps 27 Arunachal locations to counter China’s renaming claims
India Counters China With 27 Arunachal Place Names On Official Maps In Response To Border Naming Disputes
India identifies, names 27 sites in Arunachal map in counter to China's Mandarin names - Telegraph India
India counters China over Arunachal claims: Home ministry identifies 27 locations on Survey of India map — full list
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