Indian and Chinese troops have confronted each other at several locations along their de facto border in Arunachal Pradesh, India's northeast, India's border police chief has said, with New Delhi and Beijing giving different accounts as the two countries try to stabilise relations. China's foreign ministry rejected the allegations, saying its troops were on normal patrols, while India's External Affairs Ministry attributed the incidents to Chinese forces diverging from established patrolling patterns.
Shatrujeet Kapur, director general of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, told reporters last month that the face-offs had occurred in recent days. "In the past few days, a situation arose where a face-off happened (with Chinese troops) at various locations in Arunachal and it still continues," he said. He also said it "may be difficult to counter China by conventional means because their PLA and BDR (Border Defense Regiment) have gone way ahead with investment and modernization." It was not clear whether the confrontations involved physical violence.
The disputed frontier runs through a remote Himalayan region. Patrols by both sides occasionally meet in territory each regards as its own, and clashes along the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, have repeatedly triggered crises between the two countries, which fought a deadly confrontation in 2020 in the Galwan River valley in eastern Ladakh. According to Indian sources, 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed there; China later confirmed four of its soldiers died. India says the de facto border stretches 3,488 kilometres, while China claims it is shorter. The two countries have held 25 rounds of talks between their Special Representatives since 2003 without reaching a boundary settlement, and China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet.
The latest encounters come as Beijing and New Delhi try to move past 2020, restoring some direct flights and easing restrictions on travel and economic exchanges. The reset gathered pace after Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping met at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024, with further meetings at the SCO summit in Tianjin in August 2025 and the BRICS summit in New Delhi this year. The boundary dispute itself remains unresolved.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu acknowledged the transgressions but downplayed them, saying such incidents were not new and the situation along the border was normal. He acknowledged the border was not properly demarcated and that China does not recognise the McMahon Line, drawn by the British Empire in 1914, which separates Arunachal Pradesh from Tibet. The opposition Congress party criticised his remarks and accused the ruling BJP, led by Modi, of "rationalizing" Chinese actions. "On this there has been a deafening silence from the PM and his establishment," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "As we have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun rejected the allegations, saying Chinese troops were conducting "normal patrols" and strictly abiding by bilateral agreements.
Gautam Bambawale, a former Indian ambassador to China, told DW there was no agreed line between the two countries. Aravind Yelery, a China expert at Jawaharlal Nehru University, said "both sides patrol a contested LAC, so friction is built into the arrangement," describing the line as "not a thin line but a deep zone of overlapping claims where patrols inevitably meet." He argued that what is new is China's intensified focus on the eastern sector, saying that since announcing the 60,000-megawatt Medog hydropower project in Tibet, Beijing has poured infrastructure, troops, engineers and machinery into the area. He added that a wide gap separates the leaders' promises from the measures that would prevent a repeat of 2020, namely disengagement and mutual restraint.
Ashok Kantha, another former Indian ambassador to China, said Chinese transgressions in the eastern sector were not new, but that their location and extent mattered. "If the Chinese have now made deeper intrusions on our side of the LAC, or established a presence in new areas, or expanded their existing presence, that would be a serious development," he said, adding that any such move would violate border agreements the two countries signed in 1993, 1996, 2005, 2012 and 2013. The Indian government has not publicly provided details of the locations or circumstances of the latest face-offs. Alka Acharya, director of the Institute of Chinese Studies in New Delhi, cautioned against drawing conclusions without more information, saying the government has described the incidents as face-offs but has not indicated that Chinese troops have taken control of Indian territory. "Any opinion on this latest kerfuffle would at best be conjecture without any definitive evidence," she told DW.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The face-offs test a diplomatic reset that has only recently begun to produce restored flights and eased travel and economic restrictions, and they show how quickly friction on the frontier can undercut it.
- The eastern sector carries added weight: analysts point to China's infrastructure and troop build-up around the Medog hydropower project in Tibet as a shift in the strategic picture.
- The dispute has become a domestic political issue in India, with the opposition Congress party accusing the government of playing down Chinese actions.
Background
India and China share a long Himalayan frontier that has never been formally settled. The Line of Actual Control separates territory each side controls, but because both patrol areas they regard as their own, encounters between patrols are a recurring feature of the relationship. The 2020 clash in the Galwan River valley was the most serious in decades and set back ties for years; the current diplomatic thaw followed leaders' meetings from late 2024 onward, but the boundary question itself remains open.
Key Perspectives
Shatrujeet Kapur, ITBP director general: says face-offs with Chinese troops happened at various locations in Arunachal Pradesh and continue, and that China's forces have advanced through investment and modernisation.
Pema Khandu, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister: says such incidents are not new and the situation along the border is normal, while acknowledging the border is not properly demarcated.
India's External Affairs Ministry (Randhir Jaiswal): attributes disturbances in border areas to Chinese forces diverging from established patrolling patterns.
China's Foreign Ministry (Guo Jiakun): rejects the allegations, saying Chinese troops were conducting normal patrols and strictly abiding by bilateral agreements.
Congress party (Jairam Ramesh): accuses the ruling BJP of rationalising Chinese actions and says there has been silence from the prime minister and his establishment.
Aravind Yelery, Jawaharlal Nehru University: says friction is built into the contested LAC and that China's intensified focus on the eastern sector is what is new.
Ashok Kantha, former Indian ambassador to China: says deeper intrusions, new presence or expanded presence on India's side of the LAC would be a serious development and a violation of border agreements.
Alka Acharya, Institute of Chinese Studies: cautions that any opinion on the incidents would be conjecture without definitive evidence, noting the government has not indicated Chinese troops have taken control of Indian territory.
What to Watch
- Whether New Delhi publishes details of where the face-offs occurred and under what circumstances, which analysts say will determine whether this is a routine patrol dispute or something more serious.
- Any further reports of encounters in the eastern sector, particularly near the Medog project area in Tibet.
- Whether the disengagement and mutual restraint measures analysts say are needed to prevent a repeat of 2020 follow the leaders' diplomatic pledges.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
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- Partly supportedIndia and China traded accusations after the face-offs.DW English: “Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun rejected the allegations, saying Chinese troops were conducting "normal patrols" and strictly abiding by bilateral agreements.”
- SupportedIndia’s border police chief confirmed confrontations with Chinese troops.DW English: “Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur sounded alarm bells across India by confirming that Indian and Chinese troops had confronted each other at several locations along the de facto border in Arunachal Pradesh state, in India's northeast.”
- SupportedIndia and China are trying to stabilise relations.DW English: “The renewed encounters come as India and China try to stabilize relations and move past the 2020 clashes.”
- SupportedKapur said a face-off had occurred at various locations in Arunachal and was continuing.DW English: “"In the past few days, a situation arose where a face-off happened (with Chinese troops) at various locations in Arunachal and it still continues," he told reporters last month.”
- SupportedKapur said it may be difficult to counter China conventionally because its PLA and BDR had advanced with investment and modernisation.DW English: “"It may be difficult to counter China by conventional means because their PLA and BDR (Border Defense Regiment) have gone way ahead with investment and modernization," he said.”
- SupportedIndia’s External Affairs Ministry attributed the disturbances to Chinese forces diverging from established patrolling patterns.DW English: “"As we have noted in the past, the situation in the India-China border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns," he said.”
- SupportedChina’s Foreign Ministry said Chinese troops were conducting normal patrols and abiding by bilateral agreements.DW English: “Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun rejected the allegations, saying Chinese troops were conducting "normal patrols" and strictly abiding by bilateral agreements.”
- SupportedCongress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there had been “a deafening silence from the PM and his establishment.”DW English: “"On this there has been a deafening silence from the PM and his establishment," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X, referring to the face-offs confirmed by the border police chief.”
- SupportedThe 2020 Galwan clash killed 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops, according to Indian sources, and China later confirmed four of its soldiers died.DW English: “In June that year, a clash in the Galwan River valley in eastern Ladakh killed 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops, according to Indian sources. China later confirmed four of its soldiers died.”
- SupportedKantha said deeper Chinese intrusions or a new or expanded presence on India’s side of the LAC would be a serious development.DW English: “"If the Chinese have now made deeper intrusions on our side of the LAC, or established a presence in new areas, or expanded their existing presence, that would be a serious development," he added.”
- SupportedAcharya said any opinion on the latest kerfuffle would be conjecture without definitive evidence.DW English: “"The question is what is the nature of the so-called 'clashes' … not why the clashes are happening again? Any opinion on this latest kerfuffle would at best be conjecture without any definitive evidence," Acharya told DW.”