China on Tuesday asserted that its policy to improve relations with India remains unchanged, even as it defended its decision to assign new names to several locations in Arunachal Pradesh. The statement comes amid a fresh diplomatic exchange between the two countries over the issue.
According to Chinese officials, the renaming of places is part of what Beijing describes as standardising geographical names within its claimed territory. A spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry reiterated Beijing’s position, referring to Arunachal Pradesh as “Zangnan” and maintaining that such actions fall within its sovereignty. At the same time, China emphasised its willingness to continue efforts aimed at improving bilateral ties with India.
India, however, strongly rejected the move, calling it an attempt to assign “fictitious names” to its territory. New Delhi asserted that such efforts to create “baseless narratives” cannot change the ground reality and reaffirmed that Arunachal Pradesh remains an integral part of India.
The Indian response also indicated that such actions could undermine ongoing efforts to normalise relations between the two countries. The latest exchange highlights continuing tensions between India and China over their long-standing boundary dispute, particularly in the eastern sector.
China has, since 2017, periodically released lists assigning new names to locations in Arunachal Pradesh, a move consistently opposed by India. Despite the recurring friction, both sides have, in recent years, expressed intent to stabilise ties following the downturn in relations after the 2020 border standoff.
With Parliament and diplomatic channels closely monitoring developments, the issue once again underscores the complexities surrounding India-China relations and the sensitivity of territorial claims in the region.
