China said Wednesday that the situation along the India-China border was “generally stable at the moment”, while declining to confirm reports of increased Chinese military activity in disputed areas near Arunachal Pradesh.Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a regular press briefing in Beijing in response to questions about videos circulating on Indian social media that purportedly showed heightened Chinese military activity along the border.Guo said China and India had held the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs the previous week. He said both sides had agreed to maintain communication through diplomatic and military channels and work together to preserve peace and tranquillity along the border.The comments came a day after India reiterated that its border with China remained a matter of serious concern and that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control was essential to the broader relationship between the two countries.The Chinese response also came amid reports of heightened military activity by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri region. Beijing claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of what it calls “South Tibet”, a claim consistently rejected by New Delhi.India had separately pushed back against China’s objections to New Delhi formally identifying 27 locations and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard Indian names. The Ministry of External Affairs said the state was an “inalienable and integral” part of India and that nothing could change that reality.
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
The latest exchanges come as India and China continue efforts to stabilise ties that deteriorated sharply after the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes and a prolonged military standoff along the border.The two countries reached a disengagement agreement covering the remaining friction points at Depsang and Demchok in October 2024.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping subsequently held talks in Kazan, followed by further diplomatic efforts aimed at improving bilateral relations.
