New Delhi, April 12 -- India on Sunday dismissed Beijing's recent attempts to assign "fictitious names" to geographical locations, a move that coincides with reports of China establishing a new county in its Xinjiang province near the borders of Afghanistan, Arunachal Pradesh, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Addressing the development, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified New Delhi's stance on the administrative manoeuvres along contested border regions. "India categorically rejects any mischievous attempts by the Chinese side to assign fictitious names to places which form part of the territory of India," Jaiswal said in his statement.

The spokesperson emphasised that the renaming of locations does not ...