China has once again staked its claim on Arunachal Pradesh, changing the names of 23 places in Arunachal Pradesh. India has stated that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will remain an integral and inseparable part of India.

China on Tuesday (April 14, 2026) again made an objectionable statement after India protested against giving fake names to places in Arunachal Pradesh. The Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that it could change the name of Arunachal Pradesh because of China's sovereignty. On Sunday (April 12, 2026), the Indian Ministry of External Affairs gave a befitting reply to China over its move to rename parts of Arunachal Pradesh, saying such false claims cannot change the ground reality. Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.
China recently changed the names of 23 places in Arunachal Pradesh, the sixth time it has done so in 10 years. China calls Arunachal Pradesh as Jangnan. The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs released the first list of fake names of six places in Arunachal in 2017, while the second list of 15 places was released in 2021, followed by another list containing names of 11 places in 2023. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet. India said giving fictitious names to Indian territory cannot change the reality, but it can certainly affect efforts to normalise bilateral ties. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi categorically rejects any mischievous attempt by the Chinese side to give such names to places in Indian territory.
India had taken a strong stand on renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh in May last year and in April 2024. "India categorically rejects any mischievous attempt by China to give fictitious names to places falling under Indian territory," Jaiswal said. "China's attempts and false claims cannot change the indisputable reality that these places and territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, were, are and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India," he said.
Randhir Jaiswal said such attempts by China divert attention from efforts to stabilise and normalise India-China bilateral relations. "China should avoid actions that create negativity in relations and undermine efforts to build better understanding," he said. Tensions between India and China escalated significantly in 2020 after the eastern Ladakh border dispute. In the last one-and-a-half years, both sides have taken several steps to re-strengthen ties.