Chinese Troop Deployment Along LAC Fell In 2025, Defence Ministry Says

Chinese military deployments along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) declined significantly in 2025, according to the Defence Ministry, which said sustained political, diplomatic and military engagement between India and China helped bring positive developments and greater stability along the northern borders.

“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 2025-26 report said the Chinese PLA had deployed 10 combined-arms brigades along the LAC, while another 10 were stationed in traditional training areas away from the frontier.

Based on the report’s assessment, this translates into an estimated 40,000-50,000 Chinese troops deployed along the LAC, with a similar number located in designated training areas.

The 323-page report did not provide a comparable figure for PLA deployments along the LAC in the previous year. However, estimates had put Chinese troop strength at more than 60,000 in the Ladakh sector alone before India and China reached an agreement in October 2024 to disengage troops from all friction points.

That understanding brought an end to a more than four-year military standoff that had severely strained bilateral ties, taking relations to their lowest point in around six decades.

India-China Engagements Helped Stabilise Border, Report Says

The Defence Ministry said interactions between the two countries at multiple levels contributed to improved conditions along the northern frontier.

“The bilateral interactions between India and China at political, diplomatic and military levels facilitated positive developments along the northern borders,” the report said.

It added that the Indian Army’s deployment across all sectors along the LAC remains robust and that the force is prepared to respond to any emerging contingency.

The assessment comes after a period of heightened tensions following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and the subsequent military build-up along the frontier.

Report Predates Latest Tensions In Arunachal Pradesh

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

The latest incident highlights that despite the broader reduction in deployments and improved engagement between New Delhi and Beijing, the LAC remains sensitive and the possibility of localised confrontations persists.