India and China hold first Corps Commander talks on Arunachal LAC
The Indian and Chinese armies held their first Corps Commander-level meeting in the Eastern Sector on Sunday, marking a significant expansion of the military dialogue mechanism beyond the Ladakh sector. The talks took place at the Vacha-Damai Border Personnel Meeting Point in Arunachal Pradesh, amid reported tensions in the Taksing area of the Upper Subansiri district.
According to Defence Ministry sources, Lieutenant General Girish Kalia, Commander of the 3 Corps (Spear Corps), led a 12-member Indian delegation that included an Inspector General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The meeting was the first at this level to be held in the eastern theatre, as previous Corps Commander talks — especially after the June 2020 Galwan Valley clashes — were largely conducted at the Chushul-Moldo Border Meeting Point in eastern Ladakh.
The timing of the meeting is notable: it comes days before India hosts the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi from September 11 to 13, an event where Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to participate. The talks also follow a series of high-level engagements between the two sides since July, aimed at managing differences along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The 3 Corps, headquartered at Rangapahar in Nagaland, is responsible for operational areas along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian Army has two corps formations for the frontier in the state — the Tezpur-based 4 Corps and the Rangapahar-based 3 Corps. Until now, the Corps Commander mechanism had primarily addressed military issues and tensions along the western sector of the India-China boundary in Ladakh. It gained particular importance after the Galwan clashes, in which both sides suffered casualties.
Since then, India and China have continued to use military and diplomatic channels to manage differences and maintain stability along the LAC. The latest meeting occurs against the backdrop of reported Chinese activity and alleged incursions in the Taksing area, despite two high-level engagements over the past month.
On August 6, the two countries held the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs. This was followed by the 25th round of talks between the Special Representatives (SR) on the Boundary Question in Beijing on August 26. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval represented India, while the Chinese delegation was led by Wang Yi, a senior member of the Communist Party of China and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs.
The two sides signed an eight-point outcome document following the SR-level talks. The agreement included a decision to establish two additional Border Personnel Meeting Points and new hotlines, aimed at strengthening communication and confidence-building measures along the frontier. According to sources, one of the newly proposed meeting points will be in the Eastern Sector, under the operational responsibility of the 3 Corps, while another will be in the Central Sector. The sources clarified that Joshimath is not among the newly identified meeting points.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army has been closely reviewing its operational preparedness along the frontier. Recently, Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth visited the headquarters of the 3 Corps, where formation commanders briefed him about operational readiness and measures being undertaken to strengthen combat capabilities. This visit underscores India's continued focus on ensuring stability and preparedness along the LAC, even as both nations pursue dialogue to resolve their differences.
