ISLAMABAD: China has criticized India’s decision to officially name 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, calling the move “self-deception” and warning that it could undermine recent efforts to improve bilateral ties.
Chinese experts quoted by the state-run Global Times said New Delhi’s move amounts to a unilateral attempt to strengthen its territorial claims and could complicate efforts to resolve the long-running border dispute.
The reaction comes as India and China seek to stabilize bilateral ties through renewed diplomatic and military communication, even as their territorial dispute along the contested frontier remains unresolved.
“India's latest move is essentially an attempt to reinforce its claims over disputed territory and counter China's sovereignty position, a move that amounts to self-deception,” Guo Xuetang, a professor at Shanghai International Studies University, told Global Times.
“Unilateral name changes cannot alter the historical and legal facts surrounding the Zangnan region, nor can they shake China's resolve to safeguard its territorial sovereignty,” Guo said.
Qian Feng, director of the Research Department at Tsinghua University’s National Strategy Institute, also criticized the Indian move, saying any unilateral action that escalates the border situation “will not serve the broader interests of bilateral relations.”
Qian urged India to avoid turning the border dispute into a larger confrontation, arguing that such steps could affect efforts to improve political ties between the two countries.
The Chinese reaction came after India formally identified 27 locations and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh using what New Delhi describes as their standard Indian names.
The updated Survey of India map includes four mountain passes and a high-altitude lake, among other locations.
India says the exercise aims to ensure the “correct identification” of the places and improve public awareness of their geographical and historical significance.
New Delhi’s move follows repeated Chinese exercises to assign names to locations in the disputed region.
Beijing refers to Arunachal Pradesh as “Zangnan” and claims the area as part of China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in April that Zangnan is Chinese territory and that issuing standard names for locations there falls within Beijing’s “sovereign rights.”
China has released six batches of standardized names for locations in the region since 2017, with 112 names announced by April 2026, according to Global Times.
The latest Indian move also comes days after Chinese and Indian officials held the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs in New Delhi.
Both sides discussed boundary issues, border management and cross-border cooperation and agreed to maintain diplomatic and military communication.
