India-China border tensions have flared up again, putting the fragile rapprochement to a fresh test.

India and China have moved to improve ties since their deadly border clash in 2020. But recent military stand-offs reported in India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh have raised questions about whether the recent diplomatic progress has translated into lasting stability along the disputed frontier.

The latest concerns followed comments by Shatrujeet Singh Kapur, director general of India’s Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), that Indian and Chinese troops had clashed at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh and that the face-offs were ongoing.

Kapur, addressing an official function in Rajasthan, said the encounters had started from July. "Both sides withdrew first, then there were more confrontations," he said.

Chinese troops later returned in larger numbers, pitching tents about 6-7 km inside the area that India considers to be on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), media reports citing government sources said. The exact location and size of the reported deployment could not be independently verified.

Kapur’s remarks drew political attention in New Delhi because officials usually do not spell out sensitive border developments in such detail. Opposition leaders have demanded that the government clarify the situation and whether Chinese forces have increased their presence in disputed areas.

A long-standing territorial dispute

The LAC separates territory controlled by India and China, but the two countries have never agreed on a fully demarcated border. The two countries have rival claims along some 3,440 km of frontier, where tensions over the precise location of the line have sparked repeated clashes.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet. India rejects that claim and considers the state to be an integral part of its territory.

The dispute has deep historical roots and was one of the reasons for the 1962 border war, which saw India suffer a heavy military defeat. Difficult terrain, remote settlements and no mutually agreed boundary continue to complicate the management of the frontier.

The most serious recent flare-up was in June 2020, when Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh. At least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers died, the numbers acknowledged by the two countries. The clash was the first deadly one between their forces along the border since 1975.

The fighting had a serious impact on bilateral relations, disrupting diplomatic engagement and affecting travel and other exchanges. New Delhi and Beijing then held multiple rounds of talks to defuse tensions and disengage troops at key friction points.

The two sides agreed in October 2024 on patrol arrangements in parts of the disputed frontier, leading to renewed diplomatic engagement.

Review of diplomatic progress

Relations have thawed in several areas since then. India and China have moved to restore direct flights and relax some travel restrictions. Chinese President Xi Jinping also visited New Delhi in September 2026 for the BRICS summit, where he met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The heads of state exchanged views on the development of bilateral relations and the significance of preserving peace and stability in border areas. But the recent reported stand-offs demonstrate that diplomatic engagement has not removed the underlying dispute over territory.

India’s main opposition Congress party has criticised the government for its handling of relations with Beijing following Kapur’s comments.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the public was entitled to an explanation and wondered at the government’s silence on the reports.

The Indian foreign ministry accepted that there are occasions when Chinese troops stray from their traditional patrolling routes, leading to friction. The two countries were using diplomatic and military channels to resolve outstanding issues, spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said, but did not provide details of the latest incidents.

China had a different story about what it was doing. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing had always abided by the relevant agreements with India and said its border patrols were routine activities to protect Chinese territorial sovereignty.

The contradictory accounts leave key questions unanswered, including precisely where the reported clashes occurred, the status of the encampments and whether the two sides have agreed on any measures to ease the immediate tensions.

China’s border policy causes concern.

Some Indian analysts interpret the reported incidents as part of a larger pattern of Chinese forces testing Indian responses along disputed sections of the frontier.

“There have been similar activities at different places along the Arunachal Pradesh border,” said Shyam Saran, former Indian foreign secretary who led several rounds of border talks with China in the mid-2000s.

He said such steps would gradually change the situation on the ground without plunging the region into a major military conflict.

Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel in China’s People’s Liberation Army linked to Beijing’s Tsinghua University, said both countries had learned lessons from the 2020 Galwan clashes. He called for more caution to avoid future confrontations.

The comments underscore the dilemma for both governments, where encounters between troops must be controlled but not allowed to escalate, potentially jeopardising diplomatic advances.

Trade ties add another layer of complexity.

The border dispute is taking place against the backdrop of an important economic relationship.

Two-way trade between India and China was around $151 billion in the year mentioned in the source report, but the period of reporting for the figure should be confirmed before publication. The disparity in the trade was evident with Chinese exports to India at around $131bn.

India still relies on China for machinery, rare earth magnets, electric vehicle batteries and pharmaceutical inputs. Disruptions to these supply chains could impact manufacturers, infrastructure projects and other industries.

China announced new export controls on tunnel-boring machines and related equipment in October 2026. The measures, which will take effect on November 18, are aimed at protecting national security and national interests, Beijing said.

The controls are not targeting India but could impact Indian infrastructure projects that use Chinese equipment. The scale of any impact will depend on the products covered, the availability of alternative suppliers, and how authorities handle export licence applications.

So the challenge for New Delhi isn’t just about managing the border; India also needs to balance its security concerns with the economic costs of a long-term deterioration in relations with one of its largest trading partners.

The latest stand-offs don't in themselves show that a wider conflict is about to break out. They do, however, underscore how persistent territorial claims and competing security priorities continue to constrain prospects for a durable improvement in India-China relations.