China claims LAC patrols follow agreements after India flags border deviations

Beijing responds to New Delhi's stance that peace along the Line of Actual Control remains vital for broader bilateral relations.

By The India Decade

26 October 2026 at 15:20 IST

China has insisted that its military forces are conducting normal patrolling and control operations along the frontier, maintaining that Beijing strictly abides by existing bilateral agreements.

The statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry comes after New Delhi reiterated that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remains fundamental to the broader development of India-China relations.

What triggered the exchange

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that while diplomatic and military channels remain active to prevent misunderstandings, disturbances along the LAC occur when Chinese troops deviate from traditional patrolling routes.

Indian security agencies have simultaneously reinforced border infrastructure and operational readiness. Shatrujeet Kapur, Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), stated in Alwar that the force has deployed dedicated drone platoons across all border units and introduced specialised 'Strike' training courses designed to handle tactical face-offs.

Location / Sector	Security Measure / Milestone	Status / Source
LAC Border Units	Deployment of dedicated drone platoons	Implemented (ITBP)
Operational Training	New 'Strike' course for tactical combat	Active (ITBP)
Depsang & Demchok	Border disengagement agreement	Finalised (MEA)

Strengthening India's diplomatic position

India has consistently made clear that economic and diplomatic normalization depends on complete border stability. Over the past year, structured diplomatic efforts have yielded key operational breakthroughs, including the disengagement agreement finalised in October 2024 for Depsang and Demchok, two crucial friction points in eastern Ladakh.

High-level leadership talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have anchored this strategic approach. Following their bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan and subsequent meetings in Tianjin and New Delhi, India has emphasized that bilateral engagement must be driven by the "three mutuals" — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest.

Both sides continue to utilize established military and diplomatic mechanisms to manage border interactions and discuss measures to refine common understanding along sensitive stretches of the LAC.