Hours after China claimed that it never recognised the Union Territory of Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday asserted that the region is an "integral and inalienable part of India".
"UT of Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.
Responding to Chinese statements regarding India's move to identify 28 places and geographical features on the official map of the Survey of India, Jaiswal said the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued a statement that was "self-explanatory".
On October 2, the Home Ministry revealed that 28 locations in Ladakh were identified using standard names on the official Survey of India map. This was done in consultation with the Ladakh administration and local stakeholders, the MHA had said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Beijing said New Delhi's decision to publish standardised geographical names was "illegal and invalid", claiming that it never recognised the "so-called" Union Territory of Ladakh.
India's latest move comes two months after the Centre renamed 27 lcoations in Arunachal Pradesh. “Identifying them formally on the Survey of India map of Arunachal Pradesh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large,” a statement by the MEA said on August 7.
The 27 locations included 21 land areas, four passes, a lake, and a monument. The renamed land locations were Longju, Maja, Bisa, Bara Kundun, Chhota Kundun, Dhan Bari, Pritnagar, Buddhamandir, Jairampur, Teritnagar, Ramnagar, Jaswant Garh, Sagar, Padma, Jyotinagar, Baisakhi, Chhota Ropuk, Bara Ropuk, Shivaji Nagar, Sunpura, and Kamlang Nagar. Dzo La, Riza La, Pukur La and Thag La were the four renamed passes besides Sambho Sarovar lake and Sher-e-Thapa Memorial.
This was seen as a tit-for-tat move after China repeatedly announced its own standardised names for Indian territories. For example, China refers to Arunachal Pradesh as "south Tibet". In April, China renamed 23 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, which the MEA dismissed as "baseless narratives".
"China should refrain from actions which inject negativity into relations and undermine efforts to create better understanding," Jaiswal said at the time. He added that Beijing cannot change the "undeniable reality that these places and territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, were, are, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India".
China made similar renaming drives in 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
