New Delhi: India has strongly rejected China’s latest move to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, calling it a “mischievous attempt” to assign fictitious names to parts of Indian territory.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said such actions undermine ongoing efforts to stabilise and normalise relations between the two countries. It urged China to avoid steps that introduce negativity into bilateral ties.
Beijing has reportedly assigned Chinese names to 23 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, marking the sixth such exercise in the past decade. The move is seen as part of China’s continued effort to reinforce its territorial claim over the region, which it refers to as “Zangnan.”
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “Attempts by China to advance false claims and fabricate baseless narratives cannot change the undeniable reality that these territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, have always been, and will remain, an integral part of India.”
India’s response also comes amid reports that China has established a new county in Xinjiang province, reportedly to strengthen security along the Wakhan Corridor and curb infiltration by Uyghur separatist militants. According to reports, the new county, named Cenling, lies near the Karakoram range and close to the borders with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Afghanistan, highlighting its strategic importance.
This is the third new county created by China in Xinjiang—a region with a predominantly Uyghur Muslim population—in just over a year. India had previously lodged protests against the formation of Hean and Hekang counties, stating that parts of their jurisdiction overlap with areas in Ladakh.
China has renamed locations in Arunachal Pradesh on five earlier occasions—in 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. After the 2025 exercise, India dismissed the move as “preposterous,” reiterating that renaming places does not alter the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of India.
China claims the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of what it calls “South Tibet,” including Tawang. It has cited factors such as the presence of a major Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Tawang and the birthplace of the Sixth Dalai Lama to support its claims. However, the Tibetan government-in-exile maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is part of India.
