China criticizes India for formally naming 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh

Chinese media criticized India’s decision to formally identify 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names, warning that the move could damage improving relations and complicate border negotiations.

India formally listed the locations, including land areas, passes, a lake and a monument, on its official map Friday in response to repeated Chinese attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh.

China’s Global Times quoted Qian Feng, director of the Research Department at Tsinghua University’s National Strategy Institute, as saying unilateral action “will not serve the broader interests of bilateral relations.”

China has released six batches of standardized names for locations in the region since 2017, totaling 112 names as of April 2026.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in April that China does not recognize Arunachal Pradesh.