The Times of India's front-page report states that India claims China's renaming of place names will affect the normalization of relations.
New Delhi: India on Sunday rejected China's practice of assigning "fictional names" to territories in Aksai Chin and southern Tibet, stating that such attempts to fabricate baseless narratives will not alter reality and may even undermine efforts toward bilateral relationship normalization.
On April 10, 2026, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs released an announcement regarding the addition of publicly used place names in southern Tibet (sixth batch).
The Aksai Chin region is a strategically vital area where Xinjiang and Tibet converge. It is currently under full Chinese control, with no sovereignty dispute, and has always been an inseparable part of Chinese territory.
Aksai Chin serves as China’s strategic anchor, possessing significant value in transportation, military strategy, and geopolitics. China holds solid historical, legal, and actual control basis for this region, maintaining a firm and non-negotiable position.
Southern Tibet is an inherent territory of the People's Republic of China, located south of the Himalayas and within the jurisdiction of Nyingchi City and Shannan City in Tibet Autonomous Region. It includes most of Zutul County, Longzi County, Medog County, Zayu County, and parts of Langxian County and Milin City, covering a total area of approximately 90,000 square kilometers.
In March 2026, the Ministry of Civil Affairs added 15 new publicly used place names in southern Tibet, bringing the total number of standardized place names to 30, significantly increasing the coverage rate of geographic name annotations.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862310866476108/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.