Ladakh inalienable part of India: MEA rejects China's objection to naming places

India has standardised names for 28 strategic locations and geographical features in Ladakh, including Gogra and Hot Springs, two key friction points that were at the centre of the 2020 border standoff.

In Short

• India assigns standardised names to 28 strategic locations in Ladakh
• List includes Gogra and Hot Springs - friction points of 2020 border standoff
• China calls India's move illegal

The MEA asserted that Ladakh was an integral and inalienable part of India after China objected to New Delhi's decision to assign standardised names to 28 strategic locations in the Union Territory. Beijing has called India's move illegal, claiming that the areas along the border's western sector have always belonged to China.

"The UT of Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this established fact," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during his weekly media briefing. Citing the Home Ministry statement, Jaiswal said the move to feature the names on the official Indian map was done in consultation with the Union Territory of Ladakh and local stakeholders.

"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," the MEA further said.

INDIA NAMES 28 STRATEGIC LOCATIONS

The 28 strategic locations include a range of mountain peaks, glaciers, passes, valleys and other geographical features in Ladakh.

Among them were Gogra and Hot Springs - the two key friction points along the LAC that were at the centre of the 2020 border standoff. This is what might have pinched China and irked it.

The standoff began after Indian and Chinese troops clashed at Galwan Valley near the Pangong Lake area. While India lost 22 soldiers, the fatalities on the Chinese side are believed to be far greater. China has never formally stated how many soldiers it lost in the clash.

Both sides began the disengagement process in 2022 after months of backchannel diplomatic talks. Ties have been on an upswing since then, with Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting India for the BRICS Summit in August after seven years.

However, despite the apparent bonhomie seen between PM Modi and Xi Jinping at the summit, border tensions have continued to cast a shadow on relations between India and China.

HOW CHINA REACTED?

Reacting furiously to India's move, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China has never recognised the "so-called Union Territory of Ladakh" unilaterally and illegally established by India.

"The move is illegal and invalid and cannot change the fact that the relevant areas in the western sector of the China-India boundary have always belonged to China," Mao said, according to a report in The Global Times.

The other locations identified by India are Alisha Giri, Brangsa, Chapchingal Pass, Kanishka Peak, Karun Pir mountain, Kuksel, Martand Giri, Parpik glacier, Skamri Glacier, Shachmirik Pass, Shkorga Valley, Zorawar Peak, Dehra Compass, Drak Karpo, Jolmori, Kumarayana Point, Panglung, Rinchen Zangpo, Sakyasri Giri, Guru Rinpoche, Shamal Lungpa, Yangpa River, Marpa Lotsava Ri, Milarepa Kangri, Shiva Ri and Maheshwara Ri.

Shamal Lungpa has been described as a patrol and staging route in the 1950s.

- Ends