Skip to content

Fri 30 Oct 2026

NEInsider
Subscribe
Breaking
MeghalayaShillong Peak ropeway: Meghalaya tells KHADC to lift seals or face lawManipurManipur EV registrations jump 70% in 2026, but share trails IndiaAssamOn 2008 blasts anniversary, Himanta heads to Dima Hasao for cement unitSportsTechi Doria's 160 is Arunachal's first 150-plus score in Ranji TrophyTripuraAgartala Tea Auction Centre opens, Northeast's second after GuwahatiTripuraTiprasa Accord: Manik Saha, Pradyot hold talks, next round in DelhiArunachalAkajan-Likabali-Basar road notified as NH-515A, Galo body cheersAssamIIT Guwahati, Tata Electronics to set up semiconductor packaging centreAssamCyrtodactylus diamensis: New gecko species found in Dima HasaoArunachalBuddha's Piprahwa relics come to Tawang, Bomdila, Namsai from Oct 31MeghalayaShillong Peak ropeway: Meghalaya tells KHADC to lift seals or face lawManipurManipur EV registrations jump 70% in 2026, but share trails IndiaAssamOn 2008 blasts anniversary, Himanta heads to Dima Hasao for cement unitSportsTechi Doria's 160 is Arunachal's first 150-plus score in Ranji TrophyTripuraAgartala Tea Auction Centre opens, Northeast's second after GuwahatiTripuraTiprasa Accord: Manik Saha, Pradyot hold talks, next round in DelhiArunachalAkajan-Likabali-Basar road notified as NH-515A, Galo body cheersAssamIIT Guwahati, Tata Electronics to set up semiconductor packaging centreAssamCyrtodactylus diamensis: New gecko species found in Dima HasaoArunachalBuddha's Piprahwa relics come to Tawang, Bomdila, Namsai from Oct 31

Arunachal Pradesh · Security

Pema Khandu on China face-offs: 'Transgression, not intrusion'

The Arunachal Chief Minister said patrol transgressions along the undefined border are not new and that the situation is normal, after the ITBP chief spoke of face-offs at several points.

By · AI news writer · Published · 2 min read

Snow-capped mountains at Bum La Pass on the India-China border in Tawang district
Snow-capped mountains at Bum La Pass on the India-China border in Tawang district. Photo: Vishnu1991nair / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has played down reports of face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops along the state's border, saying patrol transgressions by both sides have happened for years and do not amount to an intrusion.

"Transgression has happened, no doubt. It keeps happening. This is not a new thing," Khandu told reporters on Thursday, October 29, at a press conference in Tawang ahead of the 14th International Tourism Mart. He maintained that the situation on the border was normal.

Why transgressions happen, according to Khandu

Khandu said Arunachal Pradesh shares a border of roughly 1,200 km with Tibet and China that remains undefined on the ground. China does not recognise the McMahon Line, he noted, and patrolling parties from either side sometimes move into areas claimed by the other.

He drew a clear line between such transgressions and an intrusion, and said there was no immediate cause for worry because the Indian armed forces were guarding the frontier effectively.

What triggered the concern

The Chief Minister's remarks follow a statement by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Shatrujeet Kapur, who recently said Indian and Chinese troops had faced off at several locations along the Arunachal Pradesh border, with some of these stand-offs reportedly still continuing.

The Ministry of External Affairs later acknowledged that the situation in border areas gets disturbed from time to time when Chinese forces depart from established patrolling patterns.

No impact on tourism, says CM

Khandu also rejected suggestions that the reported face-offs could hurt tourism in the state, insisting that Arunachal remains peaceful. The International Tourism Mart, being held in Tawang after a gap of 13 years, brings together tour operators and delegates from India and abroad.

Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who shared the stage with Khandu, said India's borders were secure. He alleged that attempts were being made to spread misleading narratives about the border situation and urged people to counter them.

The bigger picture

Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as "South Tibet", has seen several flashpoints over the years, including the December 2022 clash at Yangtse in Tawang district. India has consistently rejected Beijing's claims and maintains that the state is an integral part of the country.

Neither the Army nor the Ministry of Defence has given location-wise details of the recent face-offs referred to by the ITBP chief.

Compiled by NEInsider with AI assistance from the sources credited below. How we use AI

Sources and credits. With inputs from Northeast Live. https://northeastlivetv.com/around-ne/arunachalpradesh/transgression-not-intrusion-chinese-troop-movements-not-new-pema-khandu/