India has formally identified 27 locations and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh on the official Survey of India map, responding to China's repeated attempts to rename places in the state. The move aims to establish the standard Indian names of these locations and improve their recognition among the public.

"Identifying them formally on the Survey of India map of Arunachal Pradesh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large," an official statement said.

New Delhi has consistently rejected China's attempts to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh. India has described such moves as "vain and preposterous" and maintained that changing names cannot alter the "undeniable" reality that the state "was, is, and will" always remain an integral part of India.

Several strategically important locations have been included in the newly identified list. Long Ju, situated along the Line of Actual Control, is among them. The area was one of the earliest flashpoints between India and China in 1959, when Chinese forces entered the region. Maja, a village near Long Ju in Upper Subansiri district, has also been marked on the map.

The list includes Bisa village and several high-altitude mountain passes, including Dzo La, Riza La and Pukur La. Thag La, one of the region's most strategically important passes, has also been formally identified. It was the site of one of the opening battles between Indian and Chinese forces during the 1962 war.

Jairampur in Changlang district is another key location included on the official map. The town is an important logistics hub and serves as a gateway to the eastern border region. It supports the movement of security forces towards eastern Arunachal Pradesh and the Myanmar frontier.

The identified locations also include Sambho Sarovar, a high-altitude lake, along with Bara Kundun and Chhota Kundun in eastern Arunachal Pradesh. Other places listed are Dhan Bari, Pritnagar, Teritnagar and Ramnagar. Jaswant Garh, which houses the memorial of Indian Army martyr Jaswant Singh Rawat on the Tawang Road, has also been included.

Several villages and other locations have been formally marked as well. These include Sagar, Padma, Jyotinagar and Baisakhi. The Sher-e-Thapa Memorial, which commemorates 1962 war hero Trilok Singh Thapa, is also part of the list.

The remaining locations include Chhota Ropuk, Bara Ropuk, Shivaji Nagar, Sunpura, Kamlang Nagar and Buddhamandir. Kamlang Nagar is located near the Kamlang sanctuary.

India's latest move comes after years of Chinese attempts to assign new names to places in Arunachal Pradesh. New Delhi has repeatedly dismissed these as "fictitious names" for Indian territory. It has also said such attempts are aimed at creating "baseless narratives" and cannot change the "undeniable reality" on the ground. India has warned that such actions could also affect efforts to normalise ties between the two countries.

China's Civil Affairs Ministry first released a list of standardised names for six places in Zangnan, its name for Arunachal Pradesh, in 2017. It issued a second list covering 15 places in 2021. In 2023, China released another list containing names for 11 places. India's formal identification of 27 locations on its official map reinforces New Delhi's position on Arunachal Pradesh and its territorial status.