China announces "standardised" official names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Hindustan Times reports: China has unilaterally renamed six places in Arunachal Pradesh in standard Chinese in what appears to be the first sign of retaliation against the 14th Dalai Lamas visit to the northeastern state earlier this month.

Calling the remote Indian state as part of the border dispute with India, Beijing says Arunachal Pradesh is part of south Tibet with close Buddhist links with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in the Mainland. Official Chinese maps show the state as part of south Tibet.

The names were changed to show to India the sovereignty of the region, Chinese state media said.

China has standardised the names of 6 places in south Tibet, a region that is part of Chinas territory but in which some areas are currently controlled by India, a state media report said.

The official names of the six places using the Roman alphabet are Wogyainling, Mila Ri, Qoidngarbo Ri, Mainquka, Bmo La and Namkapub Ri, the report added.

Image: Chinese premier Xi Jinping.