India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected China’s position on renaming 28 locations in Ladakh stating, “It is reiterated that 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.”
China has accused India of making an “invalid” territorial claim after New Delhi formally identified 28 geographical features in Ladakh on its official map, triggering a fresh diplomatic confrontation over the disputed Himalayan frontier.
The dispute centres on India’s October 2 decision to standardise the names of 28 locations on the Survey of India map. Beijing objected on October 13, claiming the relevant areas in the western sector of the China-India boundary belong to China. India rejected the assertion, reiterating that Ladakh is an “integral and inalienable part of India”.
The immediate significance is cartographic and administrative. India has formally recorded the locations on its official map, but the naming exercise does not, by itself, establish physical control over disputed territory or alter the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
What are the 28 locations India has identified?
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the exercise in consultation with the Union Territory administration of Ladakh. According to the government, the objective is to improve geographical identification and public awareness through standardised names on official maps.
The 28 features cover several geographical categories, including mountains, peaks, glaciers, passes, valleys, lakes, rivers and land areas.
The official list comprises:
- Peaks: Atisha Giri, Kanishka Peak, Martand Giri, Zorawar Peak, Rinchen Zangpo, Sakyasri Giri, Marpa Lotsava Ri, Milarepa Kangri, Shiva Ri and Maheshvara Ri.
- Mountains: Karun Pir, Drak Karpo and Jolmori.
- Passes: Chapchingal Pass and Shachmirk Pass.
- Glaciers: Parpik and Skamri Glacier.
- Valley: Shkorga Valley.
- Lake: Guru Rinpoche.
- River: Yangpa River.
- Water body: Hot Spring.
- Land areas: Brangsa, Kuksel, Dehra Compass, Gogra, Kumarayana Point, Panglung and Shamal Lungpa.
The locations are not interchangeable in strategic significance. Gogra and Hot Spring are recognised friction points along the eastern Ladakh frontier, where Indian and Chinese forces were involved in the prolonged military confrontation that began in 2020. Their inclusion makes the exercise particularly sensitive.
However, the government’s announcement does not establish that all 28 features lie directly on the LAC, fall within the same disputed sector or have the same military significance. Their precise positions and proximity to sensitive areas must be assessed individually against official maps and reliable geographical records.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected China’s position.
“It is reiterated that 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,” Jaiswal said.