The Government of India has formally assigned standard names to 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh, reinforcing the country's official cartographic records amid the continuing boundary dispute with China.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the exercise was carried out in consultation with the Arunachal Pradesh government. The newly designated names have been incorporated into the official maps of the Survey of India, providing uniform legal, administrative and cartographic recognition to the identified locations.

The move comes against the backdrop of China's repeated attempts to rename locations in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing refers to as “South Tibet.” New Delhi has consistently rejected China's claims over the northeastern state and maintains that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.

India Names 27 Places in Arunachal Pradesh | Counters China’s Renaming Claims | India-China Tensions

"By doing this kind of thing, nothing is going to change in reality... Arunachal Pradesh is, and will always be a part of India," emphasized Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. He was responding to an IIT Madras student's question regarding the November 2025 incident, where an Indian national from Arunachal Pradesh was detained and harassed while transiting the Shanghai Airport in China. China claims almost all of India's Arunachal Pradesh state, calling it "Zangnan" or "Southern Tibet".&nbsp;&nbsp;The incident involving the Indian national at Shanghai airport took place at a time when both countries were seen as working towards mending ties after the Galwan military clashes of 2020, the resultant standoff, and the escalated tensions. A student hailing from the Northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh had asked the External Affairs Minister about China's behaviour towards the people from his state. The student highlighted the November 2025 incident of the Indian national from Arunachal who was detained at Shanghai International Airport, while holding a valid Indian passport and&nbsp;transiting China for onward travel to Tokyo (Japan) via Seoul (South Korea).&nbsp;The Indian passport-holding lady was reportedly stopped by Chinese immigration officials at the Shanghai airport, and the officials mocked her and told her to “apply for a Chinese passport.” "One of our nationals from Arunachal Pradesh was transiting through China.. She was arbitrarily detained, harassed, and inconvenienced... We protested and made the point that there are two issues. This kind of tactic is not going to change anything on the ground. Some international conventions and regulations govern the transit of people, and we expect countries to abide by them... This is an issue, where we have a firm and clear stance," Jaishankar said.&nbsp;The diplomat-turned-minister was the chief guest at the launch of IITM Global, an initiative of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras(IIT-M), which intends to take Indian tech to foreign countries, facilitate tech transfers, take Indian startups abroad, and help explore business opportunities abroad, among others.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to the Institute, IITM Global will expand its global footprint by enabling international research, innovation, startups, and academic collaborations, and position the institute as a globally-networked hub. IIT-M is widely recognised as India’s leading institution for higher education. As part of the IITM Global rollout, IIT Madras has signed a series of memoranda of understanding with leading multinational institutions and partners across key global regions. These include three MoUs in the United States, one in the United Kingdom, three in Germany, three in Dubai, three across the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore and Malaysia, and six under the India-for-Global initiative. The partnerships are focused on joint research, industry and startup collaboration, global talent and knowledge exchange, and translating deep-tech innovation into real-world applications.&nbsp;Speaking on the occasion, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “IITM Global Research Foundation is a global outreach initiative of IIT Madras aimed at strengthening international collaborations. It follows a four-pronged approach. First, we aim to take our technologies abroad and explore opportunities for technology transfer across different countries. Second, we plan to bring projects from these nations under joint development agreements, enabling our faculty to work on and provide solutions to global challenges. Third, we aim to introduce our start-ups to business opportunities in these countries. Fourth, we aim to attract foreign investments into our start-ups.”&nbsp;Further, Prof. V. Kamakoti said, “These four verticals form the core focus of IITM Global. Initially, we are establishing a presence in five locations, including the United States, Dubai, Malaysia, and Germany. Based on success, this initiative will be expanded to multiple nations.”&nbsp;IITM Global is designed as a dynamic ‘plug-and-play’ framework that enables deep-tech innovators, researchers,&nbsp;startups, and industry partners to access global markets, capital, and research opportunities. By integrating local context with international engagement, the platform aims to catalyse innovation-led growth while fostering high-impact collaborations with global industry and R&amp;D partners.

India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar counters China's claim over Arunachal Pradesh

"By doing this kind of thing, nothing is going to change in reality... Arunachal Pradesh is, and will always be a part of India," emphasized Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. He was responding to an IIT Madras student's question regarding the November 2025 incident, where an Indian national from Arunachal Pradesh was detained and harassed while transiting the Shanghai Airport in China. China claims almost all of India's Arunachal Pradesh state, calling it "Zangnan" or "Southern Tibet". The incident involving the Indian national at Shanghai airport took place at a time when both countries were seen as working towards mending ties after the Galwan military clashes of 2020, the resultant standoff, and the escalated tensions. A student hailing from the Northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh had asked the External Affairs Minister about China's behaviour towards the people from his state. The student highlighted the November 2025 incident of the Indian national from Arunachal who was detained at Shanghai International Airport, while holding a valid Indian passport and transiting China for onward travel to Tokyo (Japan) via Seoul (South Korea). The Indian passport-holding lady was reportedly stopped by Chinese immigration officials at the Shanghai airport, and the officials mocked her and told her to “apply for a Chinese passport.” "One of our nationals from Arunachal Pradesh was transiting through China.. She was arbitrarily detained, harassed, and inconvenienced... We protested and made the point that there are two issues. This kind of tactic is not going to change anything on the ground. Some international conventions and regulations govern the transit of people, and we expect countries to abide by them... This is an issue, where we have a firm and clear stance," Jaishankar said. The diplomat-turned-minister was the chief guest at the launch of IITM Global, an initiative of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras(IIT-M), which intends to take Indian tech to foreign countries, facilitate tech transfers, take Indian startups abroad, and help explore business opportunities abroad, among others. According to the Institute, IITM Global will expand its global footprint by enabling international research, innovation, startups, and academic collaborations, and position the institute as a globally-networked hub. IIT-M is widely recognised as India’s leading institution for higher education. As part of the IITM Global rollout, IIT Madras has signed a series of memoranda of understanding with leading multinational institutions and partners across key global regions. These include three MoUs in the United States, one in the United Kingdom, three in Germany, three in Dubai, three across the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore and Malaysia, and six under the India-for-Global initiative. The partnerships are focused on joint research, industry and startup collaboration, global talent and knowledge exchange, and translating deep-tech innovation into real-world applications. Speaking on the occasion, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “IITM Global Research Foundation is a global outreach initiative of IIT Madras aimed at strengthening international collaborations. It follows a four-pronged approach. First, we aim to take our technologies abroad and explore opportunities for technology transfer across different countries. Second, we plan to bring projects from these nations under joint development agreements, enabling our faculty to work on and provide solutions to global challenges. Third, we aim to introduce our start-ups to business opportunities in these countries. Fourth, we aim to attract foreign investments into our start-ups.” Further, Prof. V. Kamakoti said, “These four verticals form the core focus of IITM Global. Initially, we are establishing a presence in five locations, including the United States, Dubai, Malaysia, and Germany. Based on success, this initiative will be expanded to multiple nations.” IITM Global is designed as a dynamic ‘plug-and-play’ framework that enables deep-tech innovators, researchers, startups, and industry partners to access global markets, capital, and research opportunities. By integrating local context with international engagement, the platform aims to catalyse innovation-led growth while fostering high-impact collaborations with global industry and R&D partners.

The diplomat-turned-minister was the chief guest at the launch of IITM Global, an initiative of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras(IIT-M)

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday (Apr 1) took a dig at China over its claims on Arunachal Pradesh stating that changing names would not have any impact on the fact that the northeastern state is, was and will always be a part of India.

"If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine? Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be a state of India. Changing names does not have an effect," Jaishankar said while addressing a press conference in Gujarat.

"Our army is deployed at the Line of Actual Control...," added EAM.

Jaishankar's remarks came following China's claim where it dubbed the Indian State as Zangan and called it an "inherent part of China's territory".

"Zangnan has been China's territory since ancient times. This is an undeniable fact,"&nbsp;said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defence.

The Chinese Defence Ministry released a statement saying that Beijing "never acknowledges and firmly opposes" the "so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established by India."

After this, India rebuffed Beijing's "baseless arguments" and "absurd claims" and asserted that the northeastern state was an "integral and inalienable part of India."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> | Surat, Gujarat: On China's claim regarding Arunachal Pradesh, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine? Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be a state of India. Changing names does not have an effect...Our army is… <a href="https://t.co/EaN66BfNFj">pic.twitter.com/EaN66BfNFj</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1774764752662909052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-jaishankar-responds-to-us-ambassadors-red-line-remarks-on-pannun-case-706496">WATCH: India's Jaishankar responds to US ambassador's 'red line' remarks on Pannun case</a>

<h2>US opposes China's claims on Arunachal Pradesh</h2>

Earlier, the United States had condemned China over its claims on the northeastern state and said that it "strongly opposes" any attempts made by Beijing to advance territorial claims across the Line of Actual Control.

“The United States recognises Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by incursions or encroachments, military or civilian, across the Line of Actual Control,” said State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel.

The Ministry of External Affairs in an official statement also noted that the people of Arunachal Pradesh will “continue to benefit” from India’s development programmes and infrastructure projects.

“We have noted the comments made by the Spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh. Repeating baseless arguments in this regard does not lend such claims any validity,” said the official spokesperson of MEA, Randhir Jaiswal.

“Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Its people will continue to benefit from our development programmes and infrastructure projects,” the statement added.

(With inputs from agencies)

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday (Apr 1) took a dig at China over its claims on Arunachal Pradesh stating that changing names would not have any impact on the fact that the northeastern state is, was and will always be a part of India.

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday (Apr 1) took a dig at China over its claims on Arunachal Pradesh stating that changing names would not have any impact on the fact that the northeastern state is, was and will always be a part of India. "If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine? Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be a state of India. Changing names does not have an effect," Jaishankar said while addressing a press conference in Gujarat. "Our army is deployed at the Line of Actual Control...," added EAM. Jaishankar's remarks came following China's claim where it dubbed the Indian State as Zangan and called it an "inherent part of China's territory". "Zangnan has been China's territory since ancient times. This is an undeniable fact," said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defence. The Chinese Defence Ministry released a statement saying that Beijing "never acknowledges and firmly opposes" the "so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established by India." After this, India rebuffed Beijing's "baseless arguments" and "absurd claims" and asserted that the northeastern state was an "integral and inalienable part of India." #WATCH | Surat, Gujarat: On China's claim regarding Arunachal Pradesh, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "If today I change the name of your house, will it become mine? Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be a state of India. Changing names does not have an effect...Our army is… pic.twitter.com/EaN66BfNFj — ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2024 × Also read: WATCH: India's Jaishankar responds to US ambassador's 'red line' remarks on Pannun case US opposes China's claims on Arunachal Pradesh Earlier, the United States had condemned China over its claims on the northeastern state and said that it "strongly opposes" any attempts made by Beijing to advance territorial claims across the Line of Actual Control. “The United States recognises Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory and we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to advance territorial claims by incursions or encroachments, military or civilian, across the Line of Actual Control,” said State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel. The Ministry of External Affairs in an official statement also noted that the people of Arunachal Pradesh will “continue to benefit” from India’s development programmes and infrastructure projects. “We have noted the comments made by the Spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh. Repeating baseless arguments in this regard does not lend such claims any validity,” said the official spokesperson of MEA, Randhir Jaiswal. “Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Its people will continue to benefit from our development programmes and infrastructure projects,” the statement added. (With inputs from agencies)

India’s Jaishankar hits back at China over ‘baseless’ Arunachal Pradesh claims; ‘changing name doesn’t....’

Reacting to the comments made by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the recent visit by the Vice President, New Delhi reminded Beijing that "Arunachal Pradesh is an inalienable and integral part of India”. Watch MEA's briefing on this topic.

India: Indian Government rebuffs China's remarks on Arunachal

China have confirmed that the missing youths from Arunachal Pradesh have been found by their side.

WION Dispatch: 5 Indians went missing near China-Arunachal border

China Wednesday warned India that Dalai Lama&#39;s visit to Arunachal Pradesh will have a &quot;negative impact&quot; on the settlement of the border dispute with the northeastern state, parts of which China claims as southern Tibet.

It also said the provocative statements made by India during the course of the exiled Tibetan leader&#39;s visit to India violated its commitment on the issue of Tibet.

Pema Khandu, chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, told Reuters on April 5 that he regarded the land on the other side of the border as Tibet, not China.

&quot;As far as the boundary issue is concerned, I have also maintained that we don&#39;t share our boundary with China, but we share our boundary with Tibet,&quot; the Arunachal Pradesh chief minister had said.

Without naming Khandu, China&#39;s foreign ministry said &quot;some specific Indian official&quot; had indulged in provocative political statement and that they &quot;exceeded the scope of religious activities&quot;.

&quot;What India has done is violated the solemn commitment on Tibet-related issues and it also has a negative impact on proper settlement of the territorial disputes between the two sides through negotiations,&quot; said China&#39;s foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang.

Lu Kang said the Dalai Lama supported that stand.

&ldquo;The Dalai clique already fully stands with the position of foreigners. His display cannot in the slightest impact China&rsquo;s position on the border and Tibet,&rdquo; Lu Kang said.

He also said despite China&#39;s objection, India insisted on arranging the Dalai Lama&#39;s visit &quot;in the disputed areas of the eastern section of the China-India boundary&quot;.&nbsp;

Lu also termed the Dalai Lama&#39;s visit a &quot;disgraceful performance&quot;, which will by no means change China&#39;s position on the border and Tibet-related issues nor the fact that the Tibetan government is &quot;exercising effective administration&quot;.

&quot;The Dalai Lama has disgraceful performance on the boundary question. This time he called himself the son of India and also backed up unfounded statement by the official of the so-called Arunachal Pradesh of India,&quot; Lu said.

&quot;The Dalai Lama attacked the Chinese government on Tibet-related issues and advertised his political views on splitting China. It showed the Dalai clique has already viewed itself as foreign,&quot; he said.

The Dalai Lama&#39;s week-long trip to Arunachal Pradesh has infuriated China who considers the exiled Tibetan leader to be a dangerous separatist.

&quot;China has lodged representations with the Indian side and we will take further action to safeguard the territorial sovereignty and national security,&quot; Lu said, without elaborating.

He said the boundary and Tibet-related questions &quot;bear the political foundation of China-India relationship&quot; and the two countries have reached &quot;important consensus&quot; of resolving the dispute through talks and consultations.

&quot;We hope that the Indian side bear in mind the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples and safeguard the political foundation of the bilateral relationship and do not take any provocative actions,&quot; he said.

Asked to elaborate what &quot;negative impact&quot; he was referring to on the border dispute, Lu said, &quot;I would like to correct one mistake in your remark, I said the Dalai Lama was visiting the disputed eastern section of the China-India boundary. It&#39;s not the Indian territory. The Indian government has made solemn commitment on Tibet-related issues and the boundary question,&quot; he said.

&quot;We have lessons to learn from history. When the Indian side violated commitments on the relevant issues, the Indian side insisted on arranging the visit of the Dalai Lama in the disputed section of the China-Indian boundary and indulged in provocative political statements. We have already expressed our solemn representations and it will of course have negative impact on bilateral relations,&quot; he said.

India and China have been negotiating on the border dispute for more than 20 years but an agreement is yet to be reached. The dispute covers the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control that separates India&#39;s Arunachal Pradesh from China.

While China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as Southern Tibet, India asserts the dispute also covers the Aksai Chin area, which China occupied during the 1962 Sino-India war.

China is opposed to the Nobel laureate&#39;s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, particularly to Tawang, which happens to be the birth place of the sixth Dalai Lama in 1683. It is also at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism.

China&#39;s media and foreign ministry have repeatedly aired their opposition to the Dalai Lama&#39;s visit to the region. An article in the state-run China Daily today said the people of Arunachal Pradesh live &quot;difficult lives&quot; under India&#39;s &quot;illegal&quot; rule and they look forward to returning to China.

Building on the argument in the leading daily, Lu claimed Tibet is achieving faster growth. &quot;It will make people see clear that the Dalai Lama is &quot;attempting to split China and damaging interests of all ethnic groups in China.&quot;&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI, Reuters) 
&nbsp;

China said "some specific Indian official had indulged in provocative political statement" but did not name state minister Pema Khandu

China Wednesday warned India that Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh will have a "negative impact" on the settlement of the border dispute with the northeastern state, parts of which China claims as southern Tibet. It also said the provocative statements made by India during the course of the exiled Tibetan leader's visit to India violated its commitment on the issue of Tibet. Pema Khandu, chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, told Reuters on April 5 that he regarded the land on the other side of the border as Tibet, not China. "As far as the boundary issue is concerned, I have also maintained that we don't share our boundary with China, but we share our boundary with Tibet," the Arunachal Pradesh chief minister had said. Without naming Khandu, China's foreign ministry said "some specific Indian official" had indulged in provocative political statement and that they "exceeded the scope of religious activities". "What India has done is violated the solemn commitment on Tibet-related issues and it also has a negative impact on proper settlement of the territorial disputes between the two sides through negotiations," said China's foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang. Lu Kang said the Dalai Lama supported that stand. “The Dalai clique already fully stands with the position of foreigners. His display cannot in the slightest impact China’s position on the border and Tibet,” Lu Kang said. He also said despite China's objection, India insisted on arranging the Dalai Lama's visit "in the disputed areas of the eastern section of the China-India boundary". Lu also termed the Dalai Lama's visit a "disgraceful performance", which will by no means change China's position on the border and Tibet-related issues nor the fact that the Tibetan government is "exercising effective administration". "The Dalai Lama has disgraceful performance on the boundary question. This time he called himself the son of India and also backed up unfounded statement by the official of the so-called Arunachal Pradesh of India," Lu said. "The Dalai Lama attacked the Chinese government on Tibet-related issues and advertised his political views on splitting China. It showed the Dalai clique has already viewed itself as foreign," he said. The Dalai Lama's week-long trip to Arunachal Pradesh has infuriated China who considers the exiled Tibetan leader to be a dangerous separatist. "China has lodged representations with the Indian side and we will take further action to safeguard the territorial sovereignty and national security," Lu said, without elaborating. He said the boundary and Tibet-related questions "bear the political foundation of China-India relationship" and the two countries have reached "important consensus" of resolving the dispute through talks and consultations. "We hope that the Indian side bear in mind the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples and safeguard the political foundation of the bilateral relationship and do not take any provocative actions," he said. Asked to elaborate what "negative impact" he was referring to on the border dispute, Lu said, "I would like to correct one mistake in your remark, I said the Dalai Lama was visiting the disputed eastern section of the China-India boundary. It's not the Indian territory. The Indian government has made solemn commitment on Tibet-related issues and the boundary question," he said. "We have lessons to learn from history. When the Indian side violated commitments on the relevant issues, the Indian side insisted on arranging the visit of the Dalai Lama in the disputed section of the China-Indian boundary and indulged in provocative political statements. We have already expressed our solemn representations and it will of course have negative impact on bilateral relations," he said. India and China have been negotiating on the border dispute for more than 20 years but an agreement is yet to be reached. The dispute covers the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control that separates India's Arunachal Pradesh from China. While China claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh as Southern Tibet, India asserts the dispute also covers the Aksai Chin area, which China occupied during the 1962 Sino-India war. China is opposed to the Nobel laureate's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, particularly to Tawang, which happens to be the birth place of the sixth Dalai Lama in 1683. It is also at the centre of Tibetan Buddhism. China's media and foreign ministry have repeatedly aired their opposition to the Dalai Lama's visit to the region. An article in the state-run China Daily today said the people of Arunachal Pradesh live "difficult lives" under India's "illegal" rule and they look forward to returning to China. Building on the argument in the leading daily, Lu claimed Tibet is achieving faster growth. "It will make people see clear that the Dalai Lama is "attempting to split China and damaging interests of all ethnic groups in China." (WION with inputs from PTI, Reuters)

Dalai Lama's Arunachal Pradesh visit asserts India's territorial claim, a provocation: China