‘Mischievous Attempts’: India Slams China For Assigning ‘Fictitious Names’ To Areas In Arunachal

India rejected China’s “baseless narratives” and reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh was an integral part of its territory.

Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. (Image: PTI/File)

India on Sunday hit out at China for assigning “fictitious names” to places in the Indian territory, including those in Arunachal Pradesh, calling them “mischievous attempts.”

In a strongly-worded statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “India categorically rejects any mischievous attempts by the Chinese side to assign fictitious names to places which form part of the territory of India.”

“Such attempts by China at introducing false claims and manufacturing baseless narratives cannot alter the undeniable reality that these places and territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, were, are, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” it added.

The Ministry further said these actions were detrimental to ongoing efforts to stabilise India-China bilateral ties and urged Beijing to refrain from actions that could “inject negativity into relations and undermine efforts to create better understanding.”

India’s reaction came in response to Beijing announcing Chinese names for several places in Arunachal Pradesh.

Earlier in May 2025, India had similarly rejected Beijing’s “preposterous” attempt to rename 27 places. “Consistent with our principled position, we reject such attempts categorically. Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” Jaiswal said in May 2025.

China has undertaken similar exercises in 2017, 2021, 2023 and 2024, often coinciding with periods of heightened border tensions; the first such move in 2017 came after the Dalai Lama visited the state.

This diplomatic pushback also came amidst persisting friction regarding territorial disputes in Ladakh, where Beijing has established a fresh administrative division in the Xinjiang region, situated near the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

There has been a thaw in India’s ties with China after the 2020 Galwan clash, with PM Narendra Modi travelling for the SCO Summit in China and holding a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, China’s actions in the border areas remain a persistent concern for New Delhi.

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