Amid continuing efforts to assert territorial claims along the India-China frontier, India has identified 27 Arunachal Pradesh locations by their standard names, including sites linked to the 1959 and 1962 conflicts.
BY PC Bureau
NEW DELHI/ August 11, 2026: India has once again rejected China’s attempts to attach Chinese names to places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that such moves cannot alter the state’s status as an integral part of the country.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday that India regarded the issue as settled and dismissed any suggestion that Beijing’s naming exercises could have an impact on the ground.
“Arunachal Pradesh is an inalienable and integral part of India and this is a fact that is self-evident,” Jaiswal told reporters. He added that “nothing can change this indisputable reality”.
Jaiswal also linked the border dispute directly to the broader trajectory of India-China relations, stressing that peace and stability along the frontier remained a key priority for New Delhi.
“In matters relating to the border areas between India and China, we have always emphasised in our discussions with the Chinese side that we consider these issues as most serious, and that maintaining peace and tranquillity in these areas is of the utmost importance,” he said.
He added that India had consistently made clear that developments along the border would have a bearing on the overall relationship between the two countries.
The issue was also discussed at the recently held 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs. The two sides held detailed discussions on the situation along the Line of Actual Control and reviewed developments in the border areas.
India’s latest response comes after New Delhi officially identified 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh using their standard names on the Survey of India map. The exercise is aimed at ensuring geographical accuracy while also highlighting the historical and strategic importance of the locations.
READ: Syrian Court Sentences Assad to Death Over Civil War Crimes
China has repeatedly attempted to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls “Zangnan”. Beijing has released several such lists over the years, including six names in 2017, 15 in 2021 and 11 in 2023.
New Delhi has consistently rejected these naming exercises, describing them as fictitious attempts to create a narrative around territory that India maintains is unquestionably its own. Indian officials have previously dismissed Beijing’s claims as “vain and preposterous”.
Bi-Weekly Media Briefing by the Official Spokesperson (August 11, 2026)
https://t.co/Q1KeQofnIi— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 11, 2026
Some of the 27 locations identified by India have particular historical significance.
They include Long Ju, where Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a military confrontation in 1959, and Thag La, associated with one of the opening battles of the 1962 India-China war.
Other locations include Jairampur, which has historically served as an important logistical point in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, as well as Jaswant Garh and the Sher-e-Thapa Memorial, which commemorate Indian soldiers who fought during the 1962 conflict.
India’s latest move underscores its continued effort to assert its territorial position through official geographical records, while New Delhi has made clear that Beijing’s attempts to rename places will not affect either India’s territorial claims or its position on Arunachal Pradesh.
