Overview
- China's Ministry of Civil Affairs released a fifth list of 27 'standardised' names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh, including mountains, rivers, and residential areas.
- India's Ministry of External Affairs strongly rebuffed the move, reaffirming Arunachal Pradesh as an 'integral and inalienable part' of India.
- Beijing claims Arunachal Pradesh as 'Zangnan' or southern Tibet, asserting its sovereign rights to rename places in the region.
- The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between India and China, rooted in historical border disagreements and strategic concerns over water resources like the Yarlung Tsangpo River.
- This marks the fifth renaming initiative by China since 2017, with India consistently rejecting such actions as baseless and symbolic posturing.