China Renews Territorial Claim on Arunachal Pradesh Through Latest Place Renaming

In a fresh escalation of its long-standing border assertions, China has released another list of standardized Chinese names for geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh, referring to the Indian state as “Zangnan” or Southern Tibet. Beijing described the move as a legitimate exercise of its sovereign rights, while New Delhi promptly rejected it as a “mischievous” bid to push fictitious claims.

China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs issued the latest batch of names, covering mountains, rivers, passes, residential areas, and other sites in the disputed Himalayan region. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson defended the action, insisting that the area belongs to China and that standardizing names falls squarely within Beijing’s authority. China does not recognize Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and maintains it as part of southern Tibet.

This represents the sixth such renaming exercise by China since the first list in 2017, with subsequent rounds in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Earlier lists had cumulatively renamed dozens of locations, reinforcing Beijing’s historical narrative over the region through cartographic and administrative means rather than direct military confrontation.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded swiftly and strongly. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated: “India categorically rejects any mischievous attempts by the Chinese side to assign fictitious names to places which form part of the territory of India. Such attempts by China at introducing false claims and manufacturing baseless narratives cannot alter the undeniable reality that these places and territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, were, are, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.”

The MEA further warned that repeated actions of this nature risk undermining ongoing bilateral efforts to stabilize and normalize relations between the two neighbors. It urged China to avoid steps that could inject negativity into the relationship and detract from the process of building better understanding.

The India-China border dispute, centered on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), has remained a flashpoint despite multiple rounds of military disengagement talks and diplomatic engagements following the deadly 2020 Galwan Valley clash. While both sides have reported progress in reducing tensions at several friction points and seen improvements in trade and people-to-people ties, periodic Chinese naming and mapping exercises continue to highlight unresolved differences.