India Rejects China's Arunachal Pradesh Place Names

India categorically rejected China's latest effort to assign standardized names to places in Arunachal Pradesh, a northeastern state it considers an integral part of its territory, warning that such actions undermine ongoing attempts to stabilize bilateral relations. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued the statement on Sunday in response to Beijing's announcement of a sixth batch of names for locations in the region, which China refers to as Zangnan and claims as part of southern Tibet.

"India categorically rejects any mischievous attempts by the Chinese side to assign fictitious names to places which form part of the territory of India," ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi. He emphasized that these moves introduce false claims and baseless narratives that cannot alter the reality of Arunachal Pradesh's status. Jaiswal added that the actions detract from efforts to normalize ties, urging China to avoid steps that inject negativity into the relationship.

China defended the initiative during a briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stating that standardizing names in Zangnan falls entirely within its...