New Delhi, Oct. 13 -- 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. Last week, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced standard names for the places as part of an official mapping exercise.

Responding to a question at a media briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China has never recognised the "so-called 'Union Territory of Ladakh' unilaterally and illegally established by India" and "firmly opposes India's announcement of so-called standard names". Mao said, "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."

On October 2, India formally identified 28 strategic locations and geographical features in Ladakh, including key border friction points along the Line of Actual Control such as Gogra and Hot Spring, on the official Indian map. The step was taken by the government in consultation with the Ladakh administration and is aimed at streamlining official cartography, enabling precise identification, and improving public awareness of the sensitive border region. Gogra and Hot Spring are among the major strategic locations and were friction points during the 2020 stand-off between Indian and Chinese forces. The locations are important for Indian patrolling along the Line of Actual Control. The eastern Ladakh border stand-off began on May 5, 2020, after a violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Pangong Lake area. Both sides began the disengagement process in 2022.

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.

The exchange followed India's move to formally map 28 locations in Ladakh, including Gogra and Hot Spring, while China repeated its opposition and said the move could not alter its position on the western sector of the China-India boundary.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.