India Dismisses China’s Objection to Naming 27 Places in Arunachal: ‘Inalienable Part’
India on Monday categorically rejected China’s objection to the naming of 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh on official Indian maps, asserting that the northeastern state is an “inalienable part” of the country. The sharp exchange adds another layer of tension to the long-simmering border dispute between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) made it clear that the identification and naming of these locations were a purely administrative exercise carried out by the Survey of India last week. China had termed the move “illegal” and “invalid”, reiterating its own claim over the region, which it refers to as “Zangnan” or South Tibet. Beijing’s assertion stems from its line that the McMahon Line, the boundary fixed in 1914, has never been legally valid.
“Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India. The Government of India names places in its sovereign territory, as part of its administrative functions,” the MEA spokesperson said in a terse response, as reported by NDTV.
The 27 places, which include villages, hills, streams and passes along the hilly terrain, were given standardised Indian names to ensure consistency on official maps and documents. While the act is administrative on the surface, it carries deep political symbolism in a region where sovereignty is hotly contested. India claims the state as its own under the Constitution, and has previously renamed places, built infrastructure, and conducted elections there, all of which China has routinely protested.
A Familiar Flashpoint
This is not the first time the naming of places in Arunachal has triggered a diplomatic row. In 2017, China objected after India gave Chinese names to some locations in the state, and Beijing responded by assigning its own Tibetan-origin names to places in the region. The latest episode fits into a recurring pattern of cartographic one-upmanship, where each side reasserts its territorial claims through official maps and nomenclature. The unresolved Line of Actual Control (LAC) — the de facto border stretching over 3,440 kilometres — remains the core issue, with occasional friction points like Doklam and Galwan Valley underscoring the fragility of peace.
India’s firm stance on Arunachal Pradesh as non-negotiable territory comes at a time when bilateral relations remain frosty, despite periodic high-level diplomatic meetings. The border dispute, dating back to the 1962 war, continues to weigh on trade, people-to-people ties, and strategic stability in the region. While the naming of 27 locations might appear as a minor bureaucratic move, it is a clear signal that New Delhi will not entertain any dilution of its sovereignty, especially when Beijing uses nomenclature as a tool to advance its competing claims.
Source: NDTV
