India Hits Back at China Over 28 Ladakh Places, Says ‘No Amount of Denial’ Can Change Fact

India on Tuesday reaffirmed that Ladakh is an integral part of the country, rejecting China’s objections to New Delhi’s decision to assign standard names to 28 places and geographical features in the Union Territory. The latest exchange highlights continuing differences between the two neighbours over their disputed boundary.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said China’s opposition would not change India’s position on Ladakh.

“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,” Jaiswal said in response to media queries.

China objected to India’s move to identify the 28 geographical features through standard names for inclusion on official maps. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing had never recognised what it described as the “so-called Union Territory of Ladakh”, claiming that India had established it unilaterally and illegally.

Mao described India’s naming exercise as “illegal and invalid” and maintained that the relevant areas in the western sector of the India-China boundary belonged to China. Beijing’s position contrasts with New Delhi’s assertion that Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India.

The 28 locations include geographical features such as mountain peaks, passes, glaciers, land areas, a valley, a river and water bodies. The exercise was undertaken by the Indian government in consultation with the Ladakh administration and local stakeholders.

According to Jaiswal, the standardised names are intended to ensure accurate identification of geographical features and improve public awareness. The names will be incorporated into official maps published by the Survey of India.

The latest dispute comes amid continuing tensions over the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto boundary separating Indian- and Chinese-controlled territories. The two countries have had longstanding disagreements over sections of their Himalayan border, with eastern Ladakh emerging as a major flashpoint following the 2020 military confrontation.

India has also rejected China’s attempts to assign its own names to places in territories claimed by New Delhi, including Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing claims the state as part of its territory, a position India firmly rejects.