India Dismisses China’s Renaming of Arunachal Locations as ‘Baseless and Absurd’

The Indian government on Wednesday unequivocally rejected China’s recent attempt to rename several locations in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, describing it as a “futile and baseless” effort to assert territorial claims.

In a strongly worded statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, dismissing Beijing’s action as “vain and preposterous.”

“We have taken note of China’s continued attempts to assign invented names to places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. As we have consistently maintained, such efforts are firmly rejected,” the MEA stated.

The ministry further emphasized that such symbolic acts by China have no impact on the ground reality. “Assigning new names does not change facts. Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality of India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh,” it added.

The move marks another episode in the ongoing tensions between the two Asian giants over border issues, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as part of its territory despite India’s clear stance on the matter.