China calls naming of places in Zangnan sovereign matter

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday the standardized names of places in Zangnan fall within China's sovereignty.

Guo made the remarks after India expressed opposition to China's announcement of the sixth batch of standardized names of places in Zangnan for use by the public.

The spokesman stressed that Zangnan is China's territory and the Chinese side has never recognized the so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally set up by India.

"The China-India relations are generally stable now. China's policy of improving and developing China-India relations remains unchanged, and we hope both sides will move toward each other and do more things that are conducive to bilateral relations," Guo said.