The Indian and Chinese armies held corps commander-level talks in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday, focusing on maintaining peace and stability along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the eastern sector.
The meeting took place at the Wacha-Damai border meeting point in the Kibithoo sector, days after India and China held the 25th round of talks between their special representatives on the boundary issue in Beijing.
Lieutenant General Girish Kalia, commander of the Indian Army’s Dimapur-based 3 Corps, led the Indian delegation. The Army has not issued an official comment on the meeting.
The talks focused on border management and measures to maintain peace and tranquillity along the LAC. The engagement was the first corps commander-level meeting in the sector since the latest round of special representatives’ talks.
During the Beijing meeting, India and China had agreed on several measures to improve border management, including identifying two additional locations for senior military commander-level meetings.
Sunday’s engagement also came amid reports of tensions between Indian Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel in Taksin, a remote area of Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district.
Reports of face-offs in the area had emerged earlier, with people familiar with the situation indicating that tensions became more serious towards the end of July. The exact status of the situation remains unclear.
India has consistently stressed that maintaining peace along the border is essential for improving overall bilateral relations. On August 25, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks in Beijing as special representatives to discuss the boundary question and trans-boundary cooperation.
According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi highlighted the importance of peace and tranquillity in border areas for the continued development and progress of India-China relations.
The latest military dialogue comes as the two countries continue efforts to stabilise ties following the prolonged military confrontation in eastern Ladakh that began in 2020. The tensions severely affected bilateral relations and marked the lowest point in ties between the two countries since the 1962 border war.
The latest meeting between senior military commanders is therefore significant as India and China attempt to maintain communication and prevent fresh tensions along sensitive stretches of the disputed border.
While several issues remain unresolved, continued military and diplomatic engagement is being viewed as an important mechanism for managing differences and maintaining stability along the LAC.
The talks in Arunachal Pradesh are also expected to complement the ongoing diplomatic efforts between New Delhi and Beijing aimed at gradually improving relations while addressing outstanding border concerns.
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