New Delhi: With a Defence Ministry report stating that India-China relations have improved and the deployment of the PLA along the LAC has reduced, the Congress on Monday said that differences between the two countries would continue to exist and could only be resolved through constant engagement and trust-building, even as it called for transparency from the government.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said India and China have a complicated relationship involving trade, border disputes, and security concerns, and that sustained engagement was essential to address these issues.
Speaking to IANS, Chidambaram said: “India and China have a complicated relationship. We have a relationship on multiple levels: we have relationships in trade, we have border disputes, and we have security concerns. Only constant engagement can address these issues. We are two very large countries, with large populations, huge economies, and significant military powers, and we are neighbours, and that can never be wished away.”
If the government was claiming a reduction in Chinese troop deployment, it should provide specific details about the actual decrease in troops, he said.
“We will have issues, and only by constant engagement and trust-building can these issues be resolved. If the government is saying so, it’s only fair that they give specifics of the actual troop deployment decrease by the Chinese side, whether there are any incursions on Indian soil, and whether there are any kinds of fortifications built on the border,” he said.
“They have to be transparent with us when they give out these kinds of proclamations. But engagement is welcome; constant engagement is what will sort out issues.”
Congress MP Pawan Khera raised questions over the restoration of the earlier patrolling arrangements in eastern Ladakh.
“Before May 2020, our forces were able to patrol certain patrolling points in the Ladakh region. Are they able to patrol those points now or not? Has the status quo been restored or not?” Khera told IANS.
He said the Defence Minister, the Defence Ministry, or the Home Minister should provide an answer to these questions.
The deployment of Chinese forces along India’s northern borders witnessed a significant reduction after India moved 10 brigade-sized forces to areas along the LAC and traditional training areas, according to the Ministry of Defence’s annual report for 2025-26.
“The deployment of IA (Indian Army) in all sectors along the LAC is robust, well poised and prepared to deal with any emerging contingency,” the annual report said, underlining the army’s preparedness along the northern frontier.
On the overall security situation along the northern front during 2025, the Ministry said the 10 brigade-sized formations deployed by the army were of the combined arms type, or self-sustaining military units comprising different combat arms, including infantry, armour, artillery, and air defence, operating under a common structure, and thus enabling the formation to undertake operations independently and respond effectively to different battlefield contingencies.
“The year 2025 witnessed a significant reduction in the deployment of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Forces opposite the Northern Borders, with 10 Combined Arms Brigade-sized forces each deployed in areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and in traditional training areas,” the report said.
The Defence Ministry said that the army continued to secure the northern borders, while interactions between India and China at the political, diplomatic, and military levels also contributed to positive developments and helped maintain greater stability along the frontier.
The report highlighted the resumption and continuation of several mechanisms aimed at maintaining dialogue between the two countries and addressing issues related to the boundary situation.
(IANS)
