India and China Sunday held Corps Commander-level talks in Arunachal Pradesh, marking the first such senior military dialogue in the eastern sector amid recent tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The talks were held at the Wacha-Damai border meeting point on the Indian side of the LAC, with Lt Gen Girish Kalia, commander of the Indian Army’s III Corps, or Spear Corps, leading the Indian delegation in discussions with his Chinese counterpart and other officers. Wacha is India’s easternmost border personnel meeting point and is located in the Kibithoo sector of Arunachal Pradesh.
The meeting assumes significance against the backdrop of reports of recent tensions in the Taksing area of Upper Subansiri district. Multiple meetings between local military commanders have been held in recent weeks to address issues on the ground, while Indian troops continue to remain deployed in significant numbers to prevent any escalation.
First talks in eastern sector
While India and China have held numerous Corps Commander-level meetings since the 2020 military standoff, those discussions were centred on eastern Ladakh and conducted at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point.
Sunday’s meeting opens a senior military dialogue at the Corps Commander level in the eastern sector, where differing perceptions of the LAC have periodically led to friction between troops.
The Indian Army has two Corps formations responsible for the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh — the Tezpur-based IV Corps and Rangapahar-based III Corps. The latest discussions are aimed at addressing existing issues and strengthening mechanisms to prevent local incidents from escalating.
The engagement follows talks between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on August 25 under the Special Representatives mechanism for the boundary question. The two sides agreed to strengthen border-management mechanisms and work towards what they described as an “early and substantial harvest” in negotiations.
India and China have also agreed to establish two additional military hotlines linking Indian Army commands with their Chinese counterparts, strengthening direct communication along the border.
Talks ahead of BRICS
The military dialogue comes days before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to travel to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit on September 12-13, adding diplomatic significance to efforts to maintain stability along the disputed frontier.
India-China relations deteriorated sharply after the eastern Ladakh standoff began in 2020 and the deadly Galwan Valley clash. The two militaries subsequently conducted repeated rounds of negotiations aimed at disengaging troops from friction points.
The 23rd round of Corps Commander-level talks in the Ladakh sector was held in October 2025, a year after India and China reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements in the Depsang Plains and Demchok.
Despite the subsequent improvement in bilateral engagement, the boundary remains unresolved and the two countries continue to have differing perceptions of the LAC.
Former Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan Saturday described the expansion of military communication, including additional hotlines and Corps Commander-level talks, as a positive development, while cautioning that differing boundary perceptions, infrastructure construction and forward military deployments continued to create the possibility of friction and escalation.