IR · 12 Aug 2026

India China Arunachal Pradesh naming

Consider the following statements:

  1. India's Survey of India, functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs, assigned standard names to 27 geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh, including 21 land areas and four mountain passes.
  2. China's practice of releasing "standardised" Chinese and Tibetan names for locations in Arunachal Pradesh began in 2017.
  3. China refers to Arunachal Pradesh using the term "Zangnan," meaning South Tibet.
  4. China formally accepts the McMahon Line of 1914 as the legal boundary but disputes India's administrative control over the area.
AOnly one
BOnly two
COnly three
DAll four
This question is based on: China Calls India's Naming of Its Own Territory "Illegal" - Here's What's Really Being Contested
Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 12 Aug 2026
About this question

Why in news

India formally assigned standard names to 27 geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh on official Survey of India maps, read as a direct response to China's periodic renaming campaign.

Why for UPSC

UPSC often tests whether aspirants know China's core legal position (non-recognition of the McMahon Line) rather than assuming the dispute is merely about administrative control within an agreed boundary.

Prelims summary

India named 27 Arunachal features via the Survey of India (MHA) in response to China's renaming campaign, ongoing since 2017, under which China calls the state "Zangnan." China does not recognise the 1914 McMahon Line at all.

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