Latest Arunachal map shows 3 places illegally held by China

Guwahati: India's mapping of disputed frontier areas in Arunachal Pradesh along the McMahon Line has highlighted key pressure points along the India-China border, including a mountainous region where China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has constructed facilities on land once occupied by an Indian Army forward post during the 1962 war.

Prior to 2016, six disputed and four sensitive areas were identified along Arunachal's border; India now claims Asaphila, Longju, Bisa, and Maja as its territory. Maja is particularly noteworthy, as India previously maintained a forward post there before the 1962 conflict. The PLA has built structures and a road through Bisa, connecting two points along the disputed border.

Both Maja and Bisa are strategically important, with difficult terrain and unclear ground positions complicating patrolling and surveillance. The mapping also covers Thag La in Tawang, one of four areas previously classified as sensitive, and Dichu in Anjaw, a sensitive stretch along Arunachal Pradesh's easternmost point. These sensitive areas were briefly occupied by PLA troops during the 1962 war before withdrawing following a unilateral ceasefire by China.

Other strategic areas, such as Fishtail-1 in Dibang Valley and Fishtail-2 in Anjaw, have not been mapped yet. India's mapping of these regions serves as a formal record of contested and sensitive frontier pockets, providing New Delhi with a stronger case to challenge any Chinese attempts to alter the status quo on the ground. Repeated transgressions and face-offs have occurred in the past, including a nine-day standoff in September 2016 and an October 2021 clash between Indian and Chinese troops near Bum-La and Yangtse.