India, China hold first Corps Commander meeting in Arunachal

Amid concerns over conflicting territorial claims and military buildup along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian and Chinese armies held their first Corps Commander-level meeting in the Eastern Sector on Sunday (September 6, 2026), marking a significant expansion of the military dialogue mechanism beyond the Ladakh sector.

The meeting was held at the Vacha-Damai Border Personnel Meeting Point in Arunachal Pradesh amid reports of tension in the Taksing area of the Upper Subansiri district.

According to Defence Ministry sources, Lieutenant General Girish Kalia, Commander of the 3 Corps (Spear Corps), led a 12-member delegation that included an Inspector General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

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The talks are significant as Corps Commander-level meetings between the two armies have largely been held at the Chushul-Moldo Border Meeting Point in eastern Ladakh, particularly after the June 2020 Galwan Valley clashes. The meeting comes days before India hosts the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi from September 11 to 13, where Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to participate.

The 3 Corps, headquartered at Rangapahar in Nagaland, is responsible for operational areas along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian Army has two Corps formations responsible for the frontier in the State — the Tezpur-based 4 Corps and the Rangapahar-based 3 Corps.

Until now, the Corps Commander-level mechanism had primarily been used to address military issues and tensions along the western sector of the India-China boundary in Ladakh. The mechanism became particularly important following the Galwan clashes, in which both sides suffered casualties.

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Since then, India and China have continued to use military and diplomatic channels to manage differences and maintain stability along the LAC.

The latest meeting comes amid reports of continued Chinese activity and alleged incursions in the Taksing area, despite two high-level engagements since July.

On August 6, the two countries held the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs. This was followed by the 25th round of talks between the Special Representatives (SR) on the Boundary Question in Beijing on August 26. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval represented India, while the Chinese delegation was led by Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs.

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The two sides signed an eight-point outcome document following the SR-level talks. The agreement included a decision to establish two additional Border Personnel Meeting Points and new hotlines to strengthen communication and confidence-building mechanisms along the frontier.

According to sources, one of the newly proposed meeting points will be in the Eastern Sector under the operational responsibility of the 3 Corps, while another will be in the Central Sector. The sources clarified that Joshimath is not among the newly identified meeting points.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army has been closely reviewing its operational preparedness along the frontier. Recently, Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth visited the headquarters of the 3 Corps, where formation commanders briefed him about operational readiness and measures being undertaken to strengthen combat capabilities.