The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday rejected China's criticism over its decision to assign standardised names to 28 strategic locations and geographical features in Ladakh and reiterated that the Union Territory was an "integral and inalienable part of India."
"No amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact", the MEA said in a statement.
The MEA said the naming exercise was carried out in consultation with the Union Territory of Ladakh and local stakeholders, with the 28 locations and geographical features formally identified on the Survey of India’s official map of Ladakh to ensure their accurate recognition and improve public awareness.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing that Beijing "firmly opposes" India's decision to assign standardised names since the "western sector of the China-India boundary have always belonged to China."
"China has never recognised the so-called 'Union Territory of Ladakh' unilaterally and illegally established by India", Ning said.
On October 2, India formally identified 28 locations and geographical features in Ladakh, including Gogra and Hot Spring, two key friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The exercise, carried out in consultation with the Ladakh administration, seeks to ensure the precise identification of these locations on official maps and make them more recognisable to the public.
Gogra and Hot Spring were among the areas that witnessed tensions between Indian and Chinese troops during the 2020 border standoff. Both locations remain important for Indian patrolling along the LAC.
The confrontation in eastern Ladakh began on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash between troops of the two countries near Pangong Lake. Disengagement between the two sides began in 2022.