India Names 27 Arunachal Pradesh Locations in Response to China’s Renaming Move
In a direct counter to Beijing's repeated attempts to rename territories along the border, India on Friday formally issued standard names for 27 key places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
India has announced official names for 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, including towns, mountain peaks, rivers and passes, in a move aimed at reinforcing its position over the northeastern state amid China's continued attempts to rename places there. The latest list includes several locations that China has previously sought to assign Chinese names to, according to a report.
27 locations receive official Indian names
The new names cover a range of geographical features across Arunachal Pradesh. The exercise includes towns, villages, mountain peaks, rivers and passes, according to reports. The move follows China's repeated attempts to introduce alternative names for places in Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing refers to the state as “Zangnan” and claims sovereignty over it, a position India has consistently rejected. India Counters China’s Sovereignty Claims, Highlights Illegally-Occupied Territories Since 1963 (Video).
New Delhi maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inseparable part of India and that assigning names to locations within the state does not alter the territory's status.
Move follows China's renaming attempts
China has periodically released lists of purported Chinese names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing's naming exercises have been strongly rejected by India, which has described them as attempts to alter facts on the ground through nomenclature.
India has previously responded by issuing its own official names for locations in the state. The latest list represents another such response amid continuing tensions along the India-China border. India, China Discuss Ways to Deepen Bilateral Ties, People-to-people Exchanges During Foreign Secretary's Visit.
Arunachal Pradesh remains a point of dispute
Arunachal Pradesh has long been at the centre of a territorial dispute between India and China. China claims large parts of the state and refers to it as part of southern Tibet. India rejects the claim and administers the entire territory as a state of the Indian Union. The two countries share a disputed 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC), along which relations have remained strained since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash in eastern Ladakh.
India reiterates its territorial position
India has consistently maintained that China's attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh do not give Beijing any legal or territorial claim over them. Indian officials have previously said that invented names cannot change the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is part of India. The latest naming exercise is therefore being viewed primarily as an administrative and diplomatic response rather than a change in the state's territorial status.
Border tensions remain a concern
The development comes against the backdrop of continuing efforts by India and China to stabilise their relationship following years of military tensions along the LAC. While the two sides have taken steps to reduce some border tensions through disengagement and diplomatic engagement, territorial differences remain unresolved.
The naming dispute is likely to remain part of the broader contest between New Delhi and Beijing over competing territorial claims and their respective positions along the Himalayan frontier.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 07, 2026 11:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
