India rejects China’s ‘Fictitious Naming’ of Arunachal and Aksai Chin regions

India on Sunday firmly rejected China’s continued attempts to assign what it termed “fictitious names” to locations within Indian territory, asserting that such moves are aimed at advancing “baseless narratives” and cannot alter ground realities.

The sharp response from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came after Beijing announced the creation of a new administrative county, Cenling , in the Aksai Chin region, an area India claims as part of its Union Territory of Ladakh , but which is currently under Chinese control. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India “categorically rejects” any attempts by China to rename places in its territory, stressing that such efforts cannot change the “undeniable reality” that these areas belong to India.

China has, over the years, released multiple lists of what it calls “standardised names” for places in Arunachal Pradesh , which it refers to as Zangnan . These include names for villages, rivers, and mountain passes issued in phases since 2017, with subsequent lists in 2021, 2023 and 2024. India has consistently dismissed these as “invented” or “fictitious” names, maintaining that such symbolic measures do not lend legitimacy to China’s territorial claims.

The dispute centres around two key regions; Aksai Chin , a high-altitude plateau in eastern Ladakh that is strategically significant for China as it links Xinjiang and Tibet, and Arunachal Pradesh , a northeastern state administered by India but claimed by China as part of southern Tibet. The newly announced Cenling county, located near the Karakoram Range and close to the Line of Actual Control , is the third such administrative unit created by China in the region. India had earlier protested the formation of Hean and Hekang counties, stating that parts of their jurisdiction fall within its territory.

New Delhi also warned that such actions could undermine ongoing efforts to stabilise bilateral ties, which have remained strained since the 2020 Ladakh border standoff . While both countries have taken steps in recent months to ease tensions, India emphasised that unilateral actions like renaming places and altering administrative boundaries risk derailing progress and complicating diplomatic engagement.