New Delhi rejects Beijing’s claims and remarks on Ladakh location naming exercise

New Delhi: India has firmly rejected Chinese comments on the Union Territory of Ladakh and New Delhi’s formal identification of 28 places and geographical features on official maps, declaring that no amount of “denial” can change the established fact of India’s sovereignty over the territory.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “It is reiterated that the UT of Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact.”

He added that the Ministry of Home Affairs press release on the matter was self-explanatory. The announcement, made earlier this month, stated that the 28 places and features located in the Union Territory of Ladakh had been identified with standard place and feature names on the official map of the Survey of India. This was done in consultation with the Union Territory of Ladakh and local stakeholders.

“Identifying these places formally on the Survey of India map of UT of Ladakh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large,” the spokesperson noted.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry had earlier objected to the exercise. Spokesperson Mao Ning stated that China had never “recognized” Union Territory of Ladakh. The 2019 reorganisation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir created the Union Territory of Ladakh as a distinct administrative entity.

The list of 28 features includes peaks, mountains, passes, glaciers, valleys, rivers, lakes and land areas, including in China occupied Ladakh-Aksai Chin. Among them are locations such as Gogra and Hot Spring, sites associated with the 2020 military standoff along the Line of Actual Control, as well as culturally resonant names linked to Buddhist heritage and historical figures. The exercise follows a similar standardisation of names for places in Arunachal Pradesh earlier this year, which is part of New Delhi’s aim of official mapping and public awareness.