New Delhi: India on Tuesday rejected China's objection to New Delhi assigning standardised names to 28 places and geographical features in Ladakh, saying that the Union Territory is an "integral and inalienable" part of the country.
Last week, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) assigned standardised names to 28 places and geographical features in Ladakh, including key border friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), such as Gogra and Hot Springs. India's response came hours after China strongly opposed New Delhi's move.
"It is reiterated that the Union Territory of Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact," External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. He said the press release issued by the MHA on October 2, which China had referred to, was "self-explanatory".
"The announcement mentions that the 28 places/features located in the UT of Ladakh have been identified with standard place and feature names on the official map of Survey of India, and it has been done in consultation with the Union Territory of Ladakh and local stakeholders," Jaiswal said. "Identifying these places formally on the Survey of India map of UT of Ladakh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large," he added.
China on Tuesday opposed India's move, with Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning saying Beijing had never recognised the Union Territory of Ladakh, which she described as having been established "unilaterally and illegally" by India.
"China firmly opposes India's announcement of so-called standard names," Mao told a media briefing in Beijing, adding that the move was "illegal and invalid" and could not change what China claims to be its territory in the western sector of the China-India boundary.
The locations were formally identified on October 2 as part of an exercise aimed at streamlining official cartography, enabling precise identification and improving public awareness of the sensitive border region. The exercise was undertaken in consultation with the Ladakh administration.