New Delhi: Chinese troop presence along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) dropped in 2025, the defence ministry has said, linking the decline to sustained India–China engagements that helped stabilise the northern border.
“The year 2025 witnessed a significant reduction in the deployment of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces opposite the northern borders,” the ministry said in its latest annual report. The report said the PLA kept 10 combined-arms brigades facing the LAC, with another 10 brigades stationed in traditional training areas away from the frontier.
This works out to an estimated 45,000–50,000 Chinese soldiers along the LAC last year, and a similar number in rear training zones. The 323-page document did not give a specific figure for 2024, but earlier assessments had placed PLA strength at more than 60,000 in the Ladakh sector alone before the October 2024 disengagement deal that ended a four-year standoff, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Diplomatic, Military Talks Helped
“The bilateral interactions between India and China at political, diplomatic and military levels facilitated positive developments along the northern borders,” the report said. It added that the Indian Army’s deployment across all LAC sectors remains “robust” and the force is ready to deal with any emerging contingency.
The report covers developments up to March 31, 2026, and therefore does not include the latest friction in Arunachal Pradesh’s Taksing area, where face-offs between Indian and Chinese patrols were reported in July and August.
On Saturday, India stressed that “peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain the ‘essential basis’ for developing ties with China,” as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping welcomed “steady progress” in bilateral relations during a meeting on the sidelines of the Brics Summit in New Delhi.
Xi’s visit was his first to India in seven years and was seen as a step towards normalising ties despite lingering border issues. The two leaders had last met a year ago on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin.
Eastern-Sector Corps Talks Amid Fresh Tension
The leaders’ meeting came against the backdrop of fresh tensions in Arunachal Pradesh, including reported standoffs in the Taksing sector. It marked the first such engagement in the sector, coming days after the 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks on the boundary question in Beijing.
Operation Sindoor Lessons
The report also reviewed lessons from Operation Sindoor, the four-day confrontation with Pakistan in May 2025. “After the operation, India undertook a comprehensive review of capability voids with a clear focus on force restructuring, enhancing jointness and integrating emerging technologies,” it said. It noted that the conflict exposed gaps in domestic supply of niche unmanned aerial systems (UAS), counter-UAS and loitering munitions.
The report said Operation Sindoor brought out the need for greater jointness across the armed forces.
“Theatre-isation is imperative to meet future challenges and pave the way for seamless synergy between the services. With accomplishment of 29% deliverables and completion of 35% joint doctrines, time has come to achieve all jointness and integration initiatives in a timely manner. The integration initiatives are focused on operational readiness to include capability development, maintenance, administration, human resource management and legal aspects,” the report added.
