ISLAMABAD, 14 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): China has never recognized the so-called “Union Territory of Ladakh,” which it describes as having been unilaterally and illegally established by India, and firmly opposes New Delhi’s announcement of standardized place names in the disputed border region, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday. Mao made the remarks while responding to a question regarding India’s Ministry of Home Affairs announcement of standardized names for 28 locations, including areas along the disputed border and places under China’s actual control, and their inclusion on official maps. She said the move was illegal and invalid and could not change China’s position that the relevant areas in the western sector of the China-India boundary have always belonged to China. Beijing reiterated its opposition to what it considers unilateral actions by India concerning the disputed territories, maintaining that assigning standardized names to these locations would not alter the status of the areas in question.