India, China Hold Senior Military Talks in Arunachal Pradesh Amid LAC Tensions

India and China conducted a Corps Commander-level meeting on Sunday at the Wacha-Damai border personnel meeting point in Arunachal Pradesh, a development aimed at resolving ongoing issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the region.

Lt General Girish Kalia, who commands the Army's III Corps (Spear Corps) headquartered at Rangapahar near Dimapur in Nagaland, led the Indian delegation. The talks follow a series of recent meetings between local military commanders from both sides, prompted by reported tensions in the Taksing area of the Upper Subansiri district.

Wacha, located in the Kibithoo sector, is India's easternmost border meeting point. The discussions come amid reports that Indian troops remain deployed in significant numbers in the area to prevent any escalation.

This marks the first senior military commander-level dialogue between the two nations in recent months. It follows an August 25 meeting in Beijing between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who serve as the special representatives for the bilateral boundary talks.

The meeting also precedes the expected attendance of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in New Delhi scheduled for September 12-13. Xi's last visit to India was in October 2019 for the second informal summit in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu.

New Delhi and Beijing have been working to restore bilateral ties that deteriorated following the military standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh in 2020. To date, the two sides have held 23 rounds of Corps Commander-level meetings at the Chushul-Moldo border point in eastern Ladakh. The most recent round occurred in October 2025, a year after both nations formalized patrolling arrangements in the Depsang Plains and Demchok.

A significant thaw began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024, which led to troop disengagement from the remaining friction points.

Commenting on Saturday, former Chief of Defence Staff Lt Gen Anil Chauhan (retd) described the talks and the establishment of two additional military hotlines as positive steps. He cautioned that the boundary issue remains unresolved, and differing perceptions of the border, along with infrastructure development and force multipliers, create the potential for friction and escalation. He stressed the need for vigilance, credible capabilities, clear agreements, and consistent adherence to them.