NEW DELHI — India’s Defense Ministry said that China significantly reduced troop deployment along the border with India in 2025 as increased political, diplomatic and military engagement helped ease tensions between the two Asian powers.
Both countries had amassed tens of thousands of troops along their poorly demarcated Himalayan border following a deadly clash in 2020.
“The year 2025 witnessed significant reduction in deployment of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Force opposite Northern Borders, with 10 Combined Arms Brigade size forces each deployed in areas along the LAC and in traditional training areas,” the Defense Ministry stated in its annual report for 2025-26 released Monday.
The LAC or Line of Actual Control refers to the roughly 3,500 kilometers long Indo-Chinese frontier in the Himalayas. Much of the boundary remains disputed.
The report said that bilateral interactions at political, diplomatic and military levels had facilitated “positive developments along the northern border, leading to stability.”
However the Defense Ministry did not provide figures for Indian troop deployments along the Indo-Chinese border but said that the Indian Army’s deployment “in all sectors” along the LAC remained “robust, well poised, and prepared to deal with any emerging contingency.”
The report also highlighted India’s accelerated construction of tunnels, roads and other all-weather infrastructure in the Himalayas, which it said is critical for the rapid movement of troops, equipment and supplies.
Analysts point out that China has similarly expanded infrastructure on its side of the border in recent years, suggesting that even as troop deployment eases, long-term military readiness remains a priority for both sides along their border.
“Maintaining a strong dissuasive posture and preparedness along the borders is an imperative. We cannot scale down our defenses irrespective of troop numbers,” said retired Brigadier Arun Sahgal, who directs the Forum for Strategic Initiatives in New Delhi.
The report comes amid a broader thaw in India-China relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited New Delhi for the annual BRICS summit last week, his first trip to India in seven years. The visit marked another step in efforts by the two countries to stabilize relations after years of tensions triggered by the 2020 border clash.
After a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the summit, Xi said China viewed India-China relations from a “strategic and long-term perspective” and called on the two countries to support one another and pursue common development. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said peace and tranquility along the disputed border were essential to the continued development of bilateral ties.
India’s foreign ministry said that “the two leaders expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question.”
Tensions between India and China began to ease after Xi and Modi met in Russia in October 2024 leading to an agreement that helped end the military standoff in eastern Ladakh.
