China’s Renaming Stunt in Arunachal Won’t Change Reality, Says India

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday strongly criticised China's repeated attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that such moves will not change the ground reality that the state is an "integral and inalienable part of India."

Responding to a media query, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have noticed that China has persisted with its vain and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. We reject such attempts categorically."

He added, "Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India."

India's sharp response comes amid China's ongoing efforts to assert its claim over the northeastern Indian state. In April 2024, Beijing issued a list renaming 30 locations in Arunachal Pradesh with Chinese and Tibetan names.

This is not the first time China has released such lists. The first list came out in 2017, renaming six locations. Subsequent lists followed in 2021 (15 places), 2023 (11 places), and most recently in 2024 (30 places).

Despite these repeated provocations, India has consistently maintained that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of its sovereign territory and has rejected all attempts by China to alter facts through such symbolic gestures.