Creative naming of Arunachal locations by China does not change reality: India

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday rejected China's continued efforts to rename locations in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state remains an integral part of India.

"We have noticed that China has persisted with its vain and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh," the ministry said in a statement.

"Consistent with our principled position, we reject such attempts categorically. Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India."


China's efforts to rake up Arunachal in the midst of India-Pakistan tensions is noteworthy, and may signal Beijing's efforts to keep New Delhi engaged on both the east and west fronts.

Last year, MEA had rebuffed China's repeated attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh. In an official statement last year, the ministry asserted that assigning "invented names" would not alter the reality that the state "is, has been, and will always be" an integral and inalienable part of India.