China Renames Arunachal Pradesh as “Zangnan,” India Rejects Claim as Baseless

China has once again attempted to push "fictitious names" for Indian territories, despite a categorical rejection and "heavy slamming" from New Delhi just days ago.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday doubled down on its claim that the renaming falls within its "sovereignty," referring to Arunachal Pradesh by the fabricated name "Zangnan."

This latest provocation coincides with Beijing's aggressive administrative restructuring near sensitive border zones, including the creation of a new county in Xinjiang that borders Afghanistan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun falsely harped on the claims of allocating names to Indian territories by saying that it falls in "Zangnan's sovereignty."

He said, "Zangnan is Chinese territory and reiterated that China's policy of improving and developing ties with India remains unchanged, expressing hope that both sides will work toward each other and do more to support bilateral relations."

What did the MEA say?

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has taken a firm stance against Beijing's "mischievous" attempts to manufacture narratives. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasised that changing a name on a map does not change the reality on the ground.

Jaiswal reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh "was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India."

New Delhi warned that such unilateral actions "inject negativity" and detract from ongoing efforts to stabilise and normalise ties.

India dismissed the Chinese claims as "baseless" and "false," asserting that these administrative manoeuvres hold no legal or geographical validity.
"Such attempts by China at introducing false claims and manufacturing baseless narratives cannot alter the undeniable reality," said Jaiswal.
The diplomatic spat is intensified by China's recent official sanctioning of "Cenling County" in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on March 26. This is the third such county created in just over a year, following "Hean" and "Hekang."

Indian officials view these administrative moves, renaming places and creating new counties, as a form of "cartographic aggression."
By shifting the administrative hub to Kashgar, a vital link in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Beijing continues to consolidate its presence in the Indian areas.

The creation of these units in the vicinity of the Karakoram mountain range and the Aksai Chin plateau underscores a persistent effort to alter the status quo through administrative fiat.

While China claims these moves support "bilateral relations," New Delhi maintains that true progress is impossible so long as Beijing continues to undermine India's territorial integrity and inject "fictitious" claims into the regional discourse.

(With inputs from ANI)