India opposes China naming parts of Arunachal Pradesh

China changes the names of 62 places in 9 years

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jayswal

New Delhi – India completely rejects China’s attempts at assigning fictitious names to places which form part of Indian territory. Such attempts by China are mischievous. False claims and manufacturing baseless narratives cannot alter the undeniable reality that these places and territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, was, is and will remain an integral and inalienable part of India’, India told China. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made this statement in response to a question raised at a press conference. China has changed the names of 62 places in Arunachal Pradesh in the last 9 years.

🛑 Enough Words, Time for Action: China Must Be Answered Firmly! 🇮🇳

India has opposed China’s repeated attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh.

China has changed names of 62 places in just 9 years.

Mere verbal opposition will have no impact. If China has to be… pic.twitter.com/XDWfzt9H8t

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) April 13, 2026

1. China has been naming some places in Arunachal Pradesh as per its convenience and claiming them.

2. China has changed the names of places in Arunachal Pradesh in the past. India has protested every time.

3. India has said that such actions by China detract from ongoing efforts to stabilize and normalize bilateral ties. China should refrain from actions which inject negativity into the relations and undermine efforts to create better understanding.

4. India has expressed this reaction as tensions between the two countries over Ladakh continue.

Creation of ‘Senling’ County (District) in Xinjiang

China has created a new county called ‘Shenling’ in Xinjiang province. It was approved on March 26th and will come under Kashgar Prefecture. A ‘county’ is an administrative unit in China, similar to a district.

The Senling area is located near the Karakoram range, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which greatly increases its strategic importance. This is the third time in the past year that China has created a new county in Xinjiang. Earlier, ‘He’an’ and ‘Hekang’ counties were created. A large part of He’an County falls in the Aksai Chin region, which India considers part of Ladakh. Although the boundaries of Senling County are not clear, India has expressed concern over such administrative changes near sensitive border areas.