India rejects China's 'preposterous' attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, says state 'integral part' of country

India strongly rebuffs China's repeated attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, calling them "vain and preposterous."

India on Wednesday strongly rejected China’s latest move to rename several places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that such “preposterous” attempts will not change the reality that the northeastern state “was, is, and will” always remain an integral part of India.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a sharp statement after Beijing once again released a list of Chinese names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh, which China continues to claim as part of the southern region of Tibet.

“We have noticed that China has persisted with its vain and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to a media query.

“Consistent with our principled position, we reject such attempts categorically,” he said.

"Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” Jaiswal added.

This latest round of renaming came the day after India and Pakistan reached an understanding on the cessation of hostilities. On May 11, China’s Civil Aviation Ministry issued a notification announcing new names for 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh. The formal release, including a map, followed on May 12.

This is not the first time China has renamed places in Arunachal Pradesh. In 2024, Beijing released a list featuring 30 new names for locations within the state, a move that India also firmly opposed at the time. 

The Chinese government has frequently used such tactics, along with issuing maps and statements, to assert its territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, which it refers to as ‘Zangnan’.