What happened: China criticised India’s standard-name mapping for Arunachal Pradesh

China criticised India’s decision to identify 27 places and geographic features in Arunachal Pradesh using standard names on India’s official map. China said the Arunachal Pradesh names are “illegal, null and void.” China also reiterated that China does not recognise the area as defined by India. China argued that India’s attempt to replace long-used Chinese names is unlawful and does not change China’s claim that the region belongs to China.

Background and earlier position: China’s periodic Chinese naming releases since 2017

China’s stated approach includes periodic releases of Chinese names for locations in the Arunachal Pradesh region starting from 2017. China uses these naming releases to reinforce its position on the region.

What changed now: India’s identification of 27 places and China’s reiterated non-recognition

India’s action highlighted in the available information is the identification of 27 Arunachal Pradesh places and geographic features with standard names on India’s official map. China responded by reiterating non-recognition of the area as defined by India and by rejecting India’s replacement of long-used Chinese names as unlawful. The available information does not list the specific names of the 27 places and geographic features or provide the full methodology behind India’s mapping exercise beyond the stated use of standard names and the count of items.

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