India Rejects China’s Objection to Standard Names for 28 Ladakh Places

India rejected China’s objection on Tuesday to the standardisation of names for 28 places and geographical features in Ladakh. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Union Territory is an integral and inalienable part of India and that no amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact. The response came hours after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning described the naming exercise as illegal, null and void.

India formally identified the 28 locations on 2 October in consultation with the Ladakh administration. The list includes 10 peaks, three mountains, seven land areas, two passes, two glaciers, one valley, one river, one lake and one water body. Among them are Gogra and Hot Spring, friction points along the Line of Actual Control that featured in the 2020 military standoff. Other names include Kanishka Peak, Zorawar Peak, Parpik Glacier, Skamri Glacier, Chapchingal Pass and Yangpa River. The stated purpose is to facilitate accurate recognition on Survey of India maps and improve public awareness.

Mao Ning said China has never recognised the so-called Union Territory of Ladakh that India unilaterally and illegally established. She added that Beijing firmly opposes the publication of standard place names and that the move cannot change the fact that the western sector of the China-India boundary belongs to China. The Chinese statement was carried by Xinhua and Global Times.

Jaiswal’s reply restated India’s long-standing position that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of the country. The naming does not alter the ground situation along the Line of Actual Control. Both sides continue to maintain forces in the western sector following the 2020 crisis and subsequent disengagement talks at selected points. No new military activity was reported in connection with the naming announcement.

The exchange is the latest in a series of cartographic and administrative assertions by both governments. India has previously released maps showing its claims in the region. China has published its own standard names for places it controls or claims. The 28 locations include features in areas under Indian administration as well as some in Aksai Chin, which China administers and India claims. The Survey of India update is an internal administrative step that does not require bilateral agreement.

No further diplomatic protest beyond the public statements has been announced. Indian officials have not indicated that the naming will be withdrawn. Chinese officials have not said whether additional measures will follow. The boundary dispute remains unresolved, with both sides describing the Line of Actual Control as the de facto dividing line while maintaining differing claims on its precise alignment in the western sector.