Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing has never recognized the “Union Territory of Ladakh” and that the move is illegal and invalid.
BY PC Bureau
October 13: India has rejected China’s objections to the naming of places in Ladakh, reiterating that the Union Territory is an integral and inalienable part of the country. Ministry of External Affairs Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, responding to media queries about comments from the Chinese side, said: “It is reiterated that the UT of Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact.”
Referring to a Ministry of Home Affairs press release that announced standard names for 28 places and features, Jaiswal described the statement as self-explanatory. The announcement notes that the places, located in the Union Territory of Ladakh, have been identified with standard place and feature names on the official map of the Survey of India. The process was carried out in consultation with the Union Territory of Ladakh and local stakeholders. The formal identification on the Survey of India map is aimed at facilitating accurate recognition of these places and better awareness among the public at large.
Our response to media queries regarding comments made by the Chinese side on Ladakh.
🔗 https://t.co/guiOKfNImD https://t.co/V1tk6dkIKH
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) October 13, 2026
China has never recognized the so-called “Union Territory of Ladakh,” which it says was unilaterally and illegally established by India, and it firmly opposes New Delhi’s announcement of the standard names.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks while addressing the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs statement. Beijing said the places include locations in disputed border areas as well as areas under China’s actual control, and that their inclusion on official maps is illegal and invalid. Mao stressed that the move cannot change the fact that the relevant areas in the western sector of the China-India boundary have always belonged to China.
The exchange highlights the persistent differences between the two sides over the status of Ladakh and the western sector of the boundary. India maintains that Ladakh is fully part of its territory and has continued steps to standardize names and administrative arrangements in the region. China continues to object to such measures, asserting its own claims. Both countries have engaged in multiple rounds of talks to manage the situation along the Line of Actual Control, though core disagreements on territorial sovereignty remain unresolved.
READ: Watch Facebook Live: Punjab Anti-Drug Activist Shot Dead
#China has never recognized the so-called “Union Territory of Ladakh” unilaterally and illegally established by India and firmly opposes #India’s announcement of so-called standard names, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday. Mao was responding to a question about a statement by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs announcing standard names for 28 places, including those in disputed border areas and places under China’s actual control, and their inclusion on official maps. The move is illegal and invalid and cannot change the fact that the relevant areas in the western sector of the China-India boundary have always belonged to China, Mao said.
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) October 13, 2026
Mao’s statement reflects China’s official position that such Indian actions have no legal effect and will not influence China’s claims or its actual control over the areas in question. The two sides have held multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks in recent years aimed at managing tensions along the Line of Actual Control, though fundamental differences over territorial sovereignty remain unresolved.
Comments 1