New Delhi: India has responded firmly to China’s repeated attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh by officially incorporating the standard names of 27 locations and geographical features in the country’s official map.

According to an official statement, the locations have been formally marked on the Survey of India’s map of Arunachal Pradesh to ensure their accurate identification and promote greater public awareness.

India has consistently rejected China’s attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh, describing such moves as “meaningless and absurd”. New Delhi has maintained that such exercises cannot alter the “indisputable” reality that Arunachal Pradesh “has always been, is, and will always remain an integral part of India”.

Among the 27 locations included in the official map is Longju, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The area witnessed one of the early India-China confrontations in 1959, when Chinese troops entered the region. Maja village, near Longju in Upper Subansiri district, has also been marked on the map.

The list includes Bissa village and the strategically important mountain passes of Dzo La, Riza La and Pukur La. Thag La, another strategically significant high-altitude pass, has also been formally included. The area witnessed one of the initial clashes during the 1962 India-China war.

Jairampur in Changlang district is another prominent location included in the map. An important logistical centre and regarded as a gateway to the eastern frontier, it plays a key role in the movement of security forces towards eastern Arunachal Pradesh and the Myanmar border region.

Other locations listed include Shambhu Sarovar, Bada Kundun and Chhota Kundun, along with Dhan Bari, Pritnagar, Teritnagar, Ramnagar Jaswantgarh, Sagar, Padma, Jyotinagar and Baisakhi.

Ramnagar Jaswantgarh, situated along Tawang Road, is home to a memorial dedicated to Indian soldier Jaswant Singh Rawat.

The official list also features the Sher-e-Thapa Memorial, commemorating 1962 war hero Trilok Singh Thapa, besides Chhota Ropuk, Bada Ropuk, Shivaji Nagar, Sunpura, Kamlang Nagar near Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary, and Buddha Temple.

India has repeatedly rejected China’s attempts to assign what it calls “imaginary names” to Indian territories. New Delhi has maintained that such “baseless narratives” cannot change the ground reality and warned that such actions could undermine efforts to normalise bilateral relations.

China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs released its first list of standardised names for six locations in what Beijing calls Zangnan in 2017. A second list containing 15 names was issued in 2021, followed by another list of 11 names in 2023.

China refers to Arunachal Pradesh as Zangnan, while India maintains that the state is an integral part of the country.