October 31, 2025

The icy border between India and China in eastern Ladakh is far from calm, even after a year since troops separated at two key spots — Depsang and Demchok. Both armies are still camped out in this tough, high mountain land. This winter will be the sixth in a row where soldiers face each other at the 3,488-km long Line of Actual Control (LAC), from eastern Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. The big goal? To "maintain peace and tranquillity," says the Indian government, even as China pushes strong to build more roads, airfields, and military bases along the border. The 23rd top-level meeting between the Indian 14 Corps commander and China’s South Xinjiang Military District chief took place on Oct 25 at Chushul-Moldo. According to India’s External Affairs Ministry, it was friendly and both sides "agreed to continue to use existing mechanisms to resolve any ground issues along the border to maintain stability." This meeting is the first in the western sector of the LAC since August talks between India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The sides noted some progress and said "peace and tranquillity has been maintained in the border areas." The special troop withdrawal at Depsang and Demchok and coordinated patrolling have lowered the chances of clashes and escalation, but a big trust gap still exists. The big picture? Real de-escalation, meaning all extra troops going home and bringing things back to how they were before clashes erupted in April 2020, is "still nowhere on the horizon," sources reveal. Back then, India rushed over 50,000 soldiers plus tanks and missiles to match China’s moves. Other sectors along the LAC in Sikkim, Arunachal, Uttarakhand, and Himachal also saw more troops on both sides. Today, some troop numbers drop in winter but most soldiers remain. "There is an uneasy calm," an insider shared. The scarier worry is China’s huge infrastructure spurt. It can now send troops and weapons to front areas lightning fast, thanks to upgraded roads and airbases like Hotan, Kashgar, and Shigatse, stocked with planes, drones, fuel, and ammo. Another sore spot is patrolling rights. India wants old patrol routes restored in areas where China created “no patrol buffer zones” since late 2020. These zones cover Galwan, the north bank of Pangong Tso, the Kailash Range, and the bigger Gogra-Hot Springs area – all places India says belong to it. The supposed "temporary moratorium" on patrolling has hurt India's border presence there. In short, the border might look quieter on the surface, but under this snow-capped chessboard, the game is still intense. Both sides remain ready and watchful in Ladakh's freezing heights, with the question hanging: when will true peace return?

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Tags: India-china border, Lac, Troop disengagement, Eastern ladakh, Military standoff, Infra build-up,