Ladakh Is Integral to India, Says MEA; China's Denial 'Cannot Change Facts'
India has reaffirmed that the Union Territory of Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of the country, rejecting China's objection to New Delhi's decision to standardise the names of 28 strategic locations and geographical features in the region.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters that India's position remained unchanged, and that no amount of denial by China could alter the facts. He was responding to questions about remarks made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
At a media briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China had never recognised the "so-called Union Territory of Ladakh", describing it as having been established "unilaterally and illegally" by India. She reiterated Beijing's claim over the region.
Her comments followed the Ministry of Home Affairs' announcement on October 2 that standardised names had been assigned to 28 places and geographical features in Ladakh, including friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) such as Gogra and Hot Springs.
The MEA said the Home Ministry's press release was self-explanatory. It said the names were finalised on the official Survey of India map in consultation with the Ladakh administration and local stakeholders. The stated purpose was to ensure accurate identification of these locations and to improve public awareness.
The 28 entries cover strategic locations and geographical features in a region where India and China do not have a mutually agreed, demarcated boundary. The two countries are separated by the LAC, a de facto line whose precise alignment remains contested in several sectors. Assigning names to features on official maps is a long-standing administrative and cartographic practice, intended to make records consistent for governance purposes.
China has objected to similar exercises in the past, including when India standardised names for places in Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing's stated position is that such steps do not alter what it regards as its territorial claims.
Ladakh became a Union Territory in October 2019, after Parliament reorganised the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. India has consistently held that the reorganisation was a constitutional and legislative matter. China did not accept the change and has described it as illegal.
The two neighbours share a boundary that has never been formally settled. A clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 killed 20 Indian soldiers and led to a military build-up along the frontier. Since then, the two sides have held several rounds of diplomatic and military talks and completed disengagement at some friction points. Both governments have publicly stressed the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border, and both participate in forums such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which have continued to provide channels for engagement.
Tuesday's exchange indicates that the underlying differences over territorial claims remain. India's stated position is that discussions can move forward only on the basis of respect for the LAC, and that understandings reached so far must be honoured in full. Beijing, for its part, has continued to contest India's administrative and cartographic decisions.
For residents of Ladakh, the dispute has practical consequences: restrictions on movement near the LAC, periodic closures of traditional trade and grazing routes, and uncertainty for communities living close to the frontier. The Union Territory's administration has said the standardised names will assist officials working on land records, disaster response and infrastructure planning in the region.
