(TibetanReview.net, Aug10’26) – China’s state-employed experts have criticized India’s counter-move to standardize on its map the names of 27 locations in its strategic border state of Arunachal Pradesh. Speaking to the Party-mouthpiece globaltimes.cn Aug 9, they have called the move “self-deception”, saying it “runs counter to the improving momentum in bilateral relations and could complicate efforts to properly handle border issues.”
Justifying China’s own similar move that began in 2017, the report said the country has been carrying out standardization of geographical names in the region for a long time, calling the territory “Zangnan” (Southern Tibet) on the basis of its occupation rule over Tibet.
“Zangnan” region covers parts of Nyingchi (Nyingtri) and Shannan (Lhokha) prefecture-level cities and is located in Southwest China’s “Xizang” (referring to Tibet Autonomous Region), which has been China’s territory since ancient times, the report claimed, using Sinicized names for Tibetan areas.
“Since 2017, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs has released six batches of standardized names for locations in Zangnan, with a total of 112 names announced as of Apr 2026. These names cover villages, mountain passes, rivers and peaks, accompanied by standardized Chinese and Tibetan names as well as geographic coordinates,” the report said
The report referred to India’s rejection of China’s latest renaming move made on Apr 10 and sought to counter it with Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s response to it on Apr 14 during a routine press briefing in which he had called the “Zangnan” region China’s territory. “China does not recognize the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India. It is fully within China’s sovereign rights for the Chinese government to issue standard names for some of the places in Zangnan,” it recalled Guo as having said at that time.
Noting that China has been carrying out standardization of geographical names in the region for a long time, Qian Feng, director of the Research Department at Tsinghua University’s National Strategy Institute, has said “India should avoid turning border issue into a larger dispute, as such actions could stifle the improving political ties between the two countries.”
The report also cited Guo Xuetang, a professor at the center for South Asia and Indian Ocean Studies under Shanghai International Studies University, as calling India’s move “an attempt to strengthen its claim of control over the area and create additional leverage in future boundary negotiations.”
Not merely from the perspective of international law, “Zangnan” region has culturally, religiously and historically been connected within “Xizang”, with close links between local communities and civilization, Guo has said.
The suggestion that Tibet has been part of China both since ancient times and under international law is simply an arrogant assertion of brute power by China and there is a wealth of academic publications and other information proving them otherwise.