India-China Corps Commanders meet in Arunachal

India and China exchanged their first ever Corps Commander-level meeting in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday, as tensions ran high along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The dialogue took place at the Wacha-Damai border meeting point near LAC, situated on the Indian side of the border, close to Kibithu. Indian Lt Gen Girish Kalia, the 3 Corps Commander, headed the Indian delegation.

Corps Commander-level meetings have never been held in Arunachal prior to this. The practice of senior military leaders meeting began following the 2020 standoff in Ladakh, which saw a violent clash resulting in casualties on both sides. The recent meeting also follows boundary delimitation and border management talks conducted between Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on August 26.

The decision to hold this meeting was made during the top-level discussions, which also included the establishment of two additional locations for Corps Commander-level talks between the two nations. These additional meeting points will be in the Arunachal and Uttarakhand sectors. Additionally, two extra channels for border military hotlines will be set up in the eastern (Arunachal) and middle (Uttarakhand) sectors.

While routine meetings between Indian and Chinese troops deployed at forward positions occur to address local issues such as perceived transgressions or patrolling disagreements, senior-level talks are held to discuss more pressing matters. Recently, Army Chief Gen Dhiraj Seth visited the 3 Corps headquarters in Rangapahar to evaluate the ground situation and the preparedness of troops stationed on the Chinese frontier.