China renames 27 places of Arunachal Pradesh

The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs announced standardized names for 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh on May 11-12, 2025, referring to the region as “Zangnan” or southern Tibet, a claim Beijing has repeatedly asserted.

This marks the fifth instance of China unilaterally renaming places in the Indian state, following similar moves in 2017, 2021, 2023, and 2024. 

The latest list includes residential areas, mountains, rivers, and other geographical features, accompanied by detailed coordinates and maps in Chinese, Tibetan, and Pinyin characters.

India has categorically dismissed China’s recent move to assign new names to several locations in Arunachal Pradesh, labeling the action as “vain and preposterous.” 

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inalienable part of India,” and such “creative naming” will not alter this reality.

 A fresh row over contested areas has erupted between India and China, with two sides issuing diverging statements.
India on Wednesday rejected what it called "preposterous attempts" by China to rename places in the northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state.

“We have noticed that China has persisted with its vain and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

New Delhi’s statement came after China’s Civil Affairs Ministry published its latest names for some 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which covers 15 mountains, five residential areas, four mountain passes, two rivers, and one lake.

However, Beijing said: “Zangnan is China’s territory,” state media reported.

China considers the contested areas as “part” of its southern Tibetan autonomous region, which Beijing calls Xizang.

“Chinese government has standardized the names of some places in Zangnan, which is entirely within the scope of China’s sovereignty,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.