Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday rejected the claim that Chinese troops have entered as far as 60 kilometres inside Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh. His comments come as there are reports and local concerns about alleged Chinese activities in Upper Subansiri district especially around the Taksing circle, where residents have claimed that Chinese personnel crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Rijiju said it would be wrong to say China had entered 60 kilometres into India. The border between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh has been poorly delineated on the ground, making the issue of the extent of territorial control particularly sensitive, he said.
The border between India and Tibet was never clearly defined, Rijiju said. He said that this long-standing situation has led to differing views of where the boundary lies. Indian villagers believe that their traditional territory extends even further but communities on the Chinese side have their own claims about the extent of their territory.
At the same time, Rijiju conceded Chinese activity has increased in some border areas and that villagers' concerns cannot be ignored. He said the government is taking these concerns seriously and has increased patrolling by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in the region.
He also warned against broadcasting unverified videos and making unsubstantiated statements on the border situation. He particularly pointed out that the spread of misleading material like the spread of misinformation that he said came from Bangladesh as well as content which he said had been propagated through the spread of misinformation. Rijiju said inaccurate information can lead to confusion among the people and could lead to demoralisation of India's armed forces, and affect the morale of Indian Army.
The issue has also raised fresh questions about India’s border infrastructure. Rijiju said that China had an advantage during the years because it had developed infrastructure faster on its side of the border. He references the period before 2014, when the Congress government was in power, and recalled previous defence minister A.K. Antony in Parliament that India was not taking any steps to develop infrastructure near the border.
Rijiju said the situation changed significantly after 2014 when the government focused on roads and other infrastructure in remote frontier areas. He said that many of the areas which hadn’t witnessed easy connectivity since Independence have seen road construction and development since Independence.
The minister said better infrastructure is not just important for civilian connectivity but also for national security. Roads accessing remote regions can help transport security personnel faster and improve logistics support and help government agencies maintain a presence in difficult terrain.
Rijiju said China had previously used the infrastructure gap to its advantage by building roads and establishing facilities in high-altitude areas. India is now responding by developing its own infrastructure and strengthening its presence along sensitive stretches of the frontier, he said.
And he also sought to differentiate between Chinese activity in areas where the boundary still remains disputed and an outright seizure of an established Indian village. Rijiju said it was not accurate to claim that China had captured an Indian village, explaining that Chinese personnel have established camps in some tracts where the boundary has not been clearly delineated.
Such developments in Upper Subansiri have also raised concerns of residents living close to the LAC. For people in remote Arunachal Pradesh territorial uncertainty is closely connected to everyday problems like access to roads, security, communications and government services. The land border issue has thus become a central issue at all times in the political discussion.
India and China have been in a long-running territorial dispute along their Himalayan border so far, and the LAC remains a particularly sensitive territory. The two countries have been in constant disputes over patrolling and infrastructure and territorial control and the rest of their relationship is in constant dispute. Peace and tranquillity in the border is fundamental to the relationship between India and China, New Delhi has said more than once over the years.
The Indian government has also taken steps to reinforce its position regarding Arunachal Pradesh. The country also identified 27 places in the state using standard names on its official map, as China has continued to push for place names in the region to be different. Beijing had opposed the move, but India insists that Arunachal Pradesh belongs to the country.
Rijiju’s comments therefore reflect a much broader Indian position: there are genuine concerns about Chinese intervention along the border, but claims about territorial incursions should be carefully assessed and backed by official information. At the same time, the government is stressing infrastructure development, patrolling and a sustained security presence in remote border areas.
The situation in Upper Subansiri highlights the complexity of India’s frontier with China, where difficult terrain, historical territorial claims and the absence of a fully agreed boundary still pose a challenge. For New Delhi, furthering connectivity and security infrastructure and monitoring along the LAC is of paramount concern.
