India Hits Back At China Over 27 Names In New Arunachal Map
After Beijing objected to India formally naming 27 places and geographical features in the state, New Delhi made its position clear: Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and no action by China can change that.
The Survey of India has now given standard Indian names to 27 locations, including 21 settlements, four mountain passes, a high altitude lake and a war memorial. Among them are Longju, Maja and Bisa villages, Thag La pass, Sambho Sarovar and the Sher e Thapa Memorial. Longju is especially important because it was the site of a confrontation between Indian and Chinese forces in 1959. Thag La was also linked to tensions that led up to the 1962 war.
India has said the exercise is meant to ensure accurate identification and greater public awareness of these places. It does not create a new border or change the legal position on the boundary. Instead, it puts India’s own names and records on its official maps.
China, however, called the move “illegal, null and void” and again used its claim over the region, which it calls Zangnan or South Tibet. Beijing has been giving Chinese names to places in Arunachal Pradesh since 2017, with another list released in April this year. India has repeatedly rejected the practice as baseless.
India and China are trying to manage a wider thaw in ties, but tensions along the Line of Actual Control remain a major concern. The two sides held their 36th Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination meeting on August 6, where they discussed the border situation and agreed to keep using diplomatic and military channels to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations.
India has also sent a wider message: better ties with China cannot come at the cost of its position on Arunachal Pradesh. With the next round of boundary talks approaching and China expected to take part in the BRICS summit in India, New Delhi appears ready to keep talking to Beijing while firmly defending its territorial position.