China calls India’s renaming of 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh ‘illegal, null and void’

China on Monday termed India’s move to identify 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names on the official Indian map as “illegal, null and void”, reiterating Beijing’s territorial claims over the northeastern state.

Responding to a question on India’s recent announcement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing does not recognise Arunachal Pradesh and insisted that the region belongs to China.

“China does not recognise the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India,” Guo said.

“India’s move of attempting to replace names long been used by China with its so-called ‘standard names’ is illegal, null and void,” he said in a response posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s official website.

“Still less will it change the fact that Zangnan region belongs to China,” Guo added.

China refers to Tibet as Xizang and calls Arunachal Pradesh “Zangnan”. India has consistently rejected Beijing’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, maintaining that the state is an integral and inalienable part of the country.

India identifies 27 places by standard names

India last week formally identified 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names on the official Indian map, against the backdrop of China repeatedly assigning Chinese names to locations in the state.

The move marked a response to Beijing’s longstanding practice of releasing what it describes as “standardised” Chinese names for places in Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territorial claims.

China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs has periodically released lists of Chinese names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh since 2017.

The latest such exercise was carried out in April this year, when Beijing released another set of names for geographical features in the state.

India has repeatedly rejected China’s attempts to rename locations in Arunachal Pradesh, maintaining that assigning invented names does not change the reality of Indian sovereignty over the territory.

New Delhi has previously described such exercises by China as “vain and preposterous” and asserted that Arunachal Pradesh “was, is, and will always remain” an integral and inalienable part of India.

Naming dispute reflects wider territorial tensions

The dispute over place names forms part of the broader territorial disagreement between India and China along the Line of Actual Control.

Beijing claims Arunachal Pradesh, particularly the Tawang region, as part of what it calls southern Tibet. India rejects the claim in its entirety and exercises administrative control over the state.

China’s periodic publication of Chinese names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh has repeatedly drawn strong diplomatic responses from New Delhi.

India has maintained that changing or assigning names to places does not affect sovereignty or alter the status of the territory.

The latest exchange represents a reversal of the familiar naming dispute, with Beijing now objecting to India formally identifying places and features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard Indian names.

Despite China describing the move as “illegal, null and void”, New Delhi’s longstanding position remains that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and that Beijing’s claims and unilateral renaming exercises have no bearing on that status.