A four-member fact-finding team from the People’s Party of Arunachal Pradesh has alleged that Chinese forces encroached on land and denied the Indian army access to key patrolling points in Upper Subansiri, Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian army called media reports about the alleged encroachment “incorrect and without any basis”.
The dispute centres on the Taksing area, where the team said Indian forces cannot patrol from April to October because of flash floods, heavy rain and landslides, while Chinese forces remain active during that period. The report has triggered political criticism in New Delhi and anger among local residents.
What the fact-finding team reported
The team said residents told it that Indian forces abandoned Shera 5, a border patrolling point, after a confrontation with China’s People’s Liberation Army in 2023. Kaling Jerang, the party’s vice president, said local people were angry about losing access to ancestral hunting grounds.
The Nah Welfare Society, a local tribal organisation, separately wrote to government officials last month that Chinese encroachment had increased substantially, alleging an intention to occupy more land. These claims have not been accepted by the Indian army.
How New Delhi and Beijing responded
India’s Foreign Ministry took a less categorical position than the army. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi considers border issues serious and that peace and tranquillity in the areas are essential to wider bilateral ties.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the China-India border situation was generally stable. He added that the two countries had held their 36th meeting on border affairs and agreed to maintain diplomatic and military communication while upholding peace in the border areas.
Why the dispute matters
India and China share a 3,488-kilometre border, much of it disputed. The two countries disagree over the location of the Line of Actual Control, which is intended to separate the territory each side controls, allowing patrols to enter areas claimed by the other.
China rejects the McMahon Line, which India treats as its border in the east, and claims Arunachal Pradesh as “South Tibet” or “Zangnan”. The two countries fought in 1962, and tensions have also persisted in Ladakh, Sikkim and other parts of the frontier.
The latest allegations come as India and China pursue cautious re-engagement. The source material says Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit India for the BRICS summit on September 12–13, while bilateral goods trade reached $151.1bn in the 2025–26 financial year, driven largely by Indian imports from China.
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