Indian authorities have confirmed a fresh series of face-offs between Indian and Chinese military personnel along the disputed de facto border in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, casting serious doubts on the fragile diplomatic thaw between New Delhi and Beijing. Shatrujeet Kapur, Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, publicly acknowledged that troops from both nations have confronted each other at multiple locations, with tensions reportedly persisting for weeks.

Kapur allegedly warned that countering China through conventional military means has become exceedingly difficult due to the rapid modernization and heavy infrastructure investments by the Chinese People's Liberation Army and border defense units. The Himalayan frontier has long been a flashpoint for the world's two most populous nations, heavily scarred by the deadly 2020 clashes in the Galwan River valley. Meanwhile, the political opposition in India has sharply criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration for supposedly downplaying Chinese transgressions and failing to project a strong national stance.

Official representatives from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs attributed the recent friction to Chinese forces allegedly altering their established patrolling patterns along the Line of Actual Control. Conversely, the Chinese Foreign Ministry dismissed the accusations, claiming that its troops were merely conducting routine patrols in strict compliance with bilateral agreements. Analysts emphasize that without a properly demarcated boundary and with Beijing's aggressive infrastructure push in the eastern sector, border frictions are likely to remain an inherent risk despite recent high-level political summits.

Source: www.dw.com