Chinese troop deployment along LAC fell in 2025, says defence ministry report

China had positioned 10 combined arms brigades along the LAC, with another 10 stationed in areas away from the frontier, the 2025-26 report said.

Chinese deployments along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) thinned last year, the defence ministry has said, noting that sustained engagements between India and China contributed to positive developments and stability along the country’s northern borders.

Troop deployment along the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh. (AFP)

“The year 2025 witnessed a significant reduction in the deployment of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces opposite the northern borders,” the defence ministry said in its latest annual report, reviewed by HT. The Chinese PLA had positioned 10 combined arms brigades along the LAC, with another 10 stationed in traditional training areas away from the frontier, the 2025-26 report said.

This translates into an estimated 40,000-50,000 Chinese troops along the LAC last year, and an equal number based in the designated training areas. The 323-page report did not specify the number of PLA troops deployed along the LAC in the previous year. However, the figure was estimated to be more than 60,000 in the Ladakh sector alone before the two sides reached an understanding in October 2024 on disengaging troops from all friction points, ending a standoff that lasted more than four years and took ties to a six-decade low.

“The bilateral interactions between India and China at political, diplomatic and military levels facilitated positive developments along the northern borders,” it said. The Indian Army’s deployment in all sectors along the LAC is robust, and the force is prepared to deal with any emerging contingency, it said.

The report covers developments up to March 31, 2026, and predates the latest tensions between the Indian Army and the PLA at Taksing, a remote area in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district.

India on Saturday emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remain the “essential basis” for developing ties with China, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping welcomed “steady progress” in bilateral relations during a meeting on the margins of the Brics Summit in New Delhi.

Xi travelled to India for the first time in seven years to attend the Brics Summit, setting up the meeting with Modi to take forward the normalisation of bilateral ties amid lingering tensions on the border. The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin a year ago.

Leaders meet amid fresh tensions

The two leaders met against the backdrop of fresh tensions between the two armies in Arunachal Pradesh, with reports of face-offs during July and August. The talks also offered an opportunity to take stock of several rounds of dialogue between the Special Representatives on the border issue, the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC), and senior military commanders. India and China held the first round of talks between military commanders in the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh on September 6 and 7.

It marked the first corps commander-level engagement in the sector days after the 25th round of talks between the Special Representatives of India and China on the boundary question in Beijing.

The annual report also delved into Operation Sindoor, and the lessons learnt from the four-day military confrontation with Pakistan in May 2025. “After the operation, India undertook a comprehensive review of capability voids with a clear focus on force restructuring, enhancing jointness and integrating emerging technologies,” it said. The inability of the local industry to offer niche products in the unmanned aerial systems (UAS)/ counter-UAS/ loitering munitions domains came to the fore during Operation Sindoor, the report pointed out.

Operation Sindoor highlighted the importance of jointness among the armed forces, it said.

“Theatre-isation is imperative to meet future challenges and pave the way for seamless synergy between the services. With accomplishment of 29% deliverables and completion of 35% joint doctrines, time has come to achieve all jointness and integration initiatives in a timely manner. The integration initiatives are focused on operational readiness to include capability development, maintenance, administration, human resource management and legal aspects,” the report added.

Jointness is an essential prerequisite for creating theatre commands. These commands will integrate military elements, assets, and personnel from the three services under a single commander-in-chief.