New Delhi: The situation in India-China border areas “gets disturbed” when Chinese forces diverge from established patrolling patterns, the Ministry of External Affairs said Friday, a day after Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief confirmed for the first time face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh.
“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. Both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the Line of Actual Control,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular press briefing.
Jaiswal added, “The two sides have also agreed to discuss ways to improve understanding of LAC in appropriate areas for better border management. I would also like to emphasise that the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations.”
The spokesperson did not get into specifics on the face-offs between India and China at Arunachal Pradesh, referring the question to the Ministry of Defence.
Speaking at Rajasthan’s Alwar on Thursday, ITBP DG Shatrujeet Kapur highlighted there are face-offs across the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh that are “still going on”.
Kapur’s confirmation of the situation in Arunachal Pradesh is the first time an Indian government official has on-record highlighted the face-offs between the forces of the two countries in the region.
One of the reported face-offs between the forces was during the BRICS Summit hosted by New Delhi in September. In late July, patrol parties of the two countries came face-to-face in the remote village of Taksing, before the Chinese forces withdrew in early August, as reported by ThePrint.
Bi-Weekly Media Briefing by the Official Spokesperson (October 23, 2026) https://t.co/02UiEhucZG
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) October 23, 2026
For India, any forward momentum in ties with China relies on the peace and tranquility at the border areas. In August, the Ministry of External Affairs underlined that the state of the relationship depends on the situation at the border regions. This message has been reiterated by Indian officials at various meetings between the two countries in the recent past.
At the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) in August, the Indian side reiterated this message, the MEA had said in August.
India and China have taken a number of Confidence Building Measures since October 2024 to recalibrate and stabilise ties. The relationship cratered following the clashes at Galwan in Eastern Ladakh during the summer months of 2020.
Following an agreement on disengaging at the friction points across the LAC, announced in October 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Russian city of Kazan on the margins of the BRICS Summit.
Modi travelled to China in August 2025 to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), while Xi travelled to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit. The two countries have taken a number of steps such as restoration of direct air services, the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage and issuance of tourist visas, as means to build confidence in the stabilisation efforts.
China does not recognise Arunachal Pradesh as a part of India, and in the past has issued maps renaming parts of the state. Recently India carried out efforts to name locations in Ladakh, which China rejected.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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