NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — India firmly rejected China’s latest move to rename 27 locations in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, calling the action “baseless” and “preposterous.” The Indian government reiterated that the state remains an integral and inalienable part of the country, dismissing what it described as Beijing’s ongoing attempt at asserting territorial claims through symbolic gestures.
On May 14, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to media queries about the renaming effort, emphasizing that such “creative naming” would not alter India’s sovereignty. “We have noticed that China has persisted with its vain and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh,” Jaiswal said in an official statement. “Consistent with our principled position, we reject such attempts categorically.”
This is the fifth time China has attempted to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh—referred to by Beijing as “Zangnan”—in a bid to reinforce its territorial claims. Previous renaming attempts occurred in 2017, 2021, 2023, and 2024, often timed alongside key diplomatic events or political developments in the region.
In 2017, China issued its first batch of alternate names following the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing viewed as a provocation. The 2023 renaming coincided with India hosting a G20 meeting in the state, which China opposed. Most recently, the May 2025 renaming came just days after reported military tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, suggesting a pattern of geopolitical signaling by Beijing.
India has repeatedly dismissed these moves as diplomatic theatrics. “This does not change the fact that Arunachal Pradesh is, was, and will always be an integral part of India,” Jaiswal said. Officials in New Delhi view the renaming campaign as part of China’s broader strategy of “coercive diplomacy”—a term used by experts to describe Beijing’s use of symbolic pressure to assert territorial claims.
China’s actions have sparked bipartisan criticism in India and drawn concern from international observers. Analysts point out that symbolic name changes, while lacking legal standing, are often used by China to reinforce long-standing claims and influence international perception. However, India maintains that its sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh is both legally and historically grounded.
Arunachal Pradesh, which shares a 1,129-kilometer border with China, has long been a flashpoint in Sino-Indian relations. The region was the site of a major border war in 1962 and remains a contentious area despite multiple rounds of diplomatic talks aimed at resolving the boundary dispute.
China’s foreign ministry defends its actions, claiming that the renamed areas fall under its administrative jurisdiction. However, India has consistently dismissed these assertions. The Indian government does not recognize Chinese names for locations within Arunachal Pradesh and continues to exercise full administrative control over the region.
This latest episode adds to the already complex and often tense relationship between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, which has seen frequent military stand-offs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in recent years.
While both sides have called for dialogue to ease tensions, India remains steadfast in rejecting any move that challenges its territorial integrity. “Such acts will not change the reality on the ground,” Jaiswal reiterated.
