China Rejects India’s Renaming of 27 Places in Arunachal Pradesh as ‘Illegal and Void’

The dispute between China and India over Arunachal Pradesh has intensified once again after Beijing strongly rejected New Delhi’s decision to assign new official names to 27 locations in the disputed region.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing that China does not recognize India’s claims over Arunachal Pradesh and considers the region, which Beijing refers to as Zangnan, to be part of Chinese territory.

Guo said India’s attempt to replace geographical names that China has used for a long time and impose its own names was “illegal and invalid” and had no legal standing.

He stressed that changing the names of places could not alter their territorial status, ownership or sovereignty.

China has repeatedly rejected India’s claim over Arunachal Pradesh, while India maintains that the northeastern state is an integral and inseparable part of the country.

The latest dispute follows India’s decision on Friday to rename 27 locations of historical and geographical significance in Arunachal Pradesh and approve their inclusion under the new names in official maps.

The move is expected to further heighten tensions between the two Asian powers over their long-running territorial dispute along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).