What happened: China rejected India’s standard-name mapping for Arunachal Pradesh
China rejected India’s mapping action that identifies 27 places and features in Arunachal Pradesh using standard names on official Indian maps. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson said China does not recognize India’s ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ labels.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson called India’s mapping action illegal, null and void. China’s statement linked the naming dispute to China’s long-standing claims over the region and to China’s periodic release of Chinese names for locations in the region since 2017.
Background and earlier position: China’s claims and place-name narrative since 2017
China stated that China has long asserted its claims over Arunachal Pradesh. China also claimed that China has periodically released Chinese names for locations in the region since 2017.
China maintained that the region referred to by China as Zangnan belongs to China, and China used this framing to reject India’s labels.