India on Friday said Chinese troops deviating from established patrolling patterns periodically disturb the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that peace and tranquillity along the border remain essential for improving bilateral relations.

Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks a day after Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur reported face-offs with Chinese forces at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh.

“In the past few days, a situation arose where face-offs occurred at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh, and this continues,” Kapur said on Thursday while addressing troops at an ITBP base in Alwar, Rajasthan.

Kapur said the ITBP had deployed its new Shaurya commandos during the ongoing face-offs. The force has also established drone platoons for all border units and developed a new “strike course” to prepare troops for battles like the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.

Jaiswal said India and China were using existing diplomatic and military channels to “resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation” along the LAC. Both sides have also agreed to discuss ways to “improve understanding of [the] LAC in appropriate areas for better border management”.

Earlier reports indicated tensions between the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at Taksing in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district during July and August, with several face-offs reported.

India and China Continue Efforts to Rebuild Ties

India and China held their first round of military commander-level talks in Arunachal Pradesh’s eastern sector on September 6 and 7. The discussions took place days before Chinese President Xi Jinping visited India for the BRICS Summit on September 12-13, his first visit in seven years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi welcomed “steady progress” in bilateral relations during their meeting on the sidelines of the summit. Modi stressed that peace and tranquillity along the border formed the “essential basis” for improving ties and urged both sides to “observe existing agreements and understandings on border-related issues”.

Xi called for “a dual-track approach to bilateral relations and border issues”.

The latest tensions come as both countries work to rebuild ties following a military standoff in Ladakh that began in April-May 2020. The two sides reached an understanding in October 2024 after relations fell to their lowest point in six decades.

India also faces other challenges in its relationship with China, including restrictions on heavy machinery exports, unpredictable access to Chinese markets, a widening trade deficit and visa restrictions affecting the business community.