According to the US Department of War’s 2025 report to Congress, China is likely seeking to capitalise on reduced tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India to stabilise bilateral relations and prevent closer US-India ties. The report noted that in October 2024, India and China agreed to disengage from the remaining standoff points along the LAC, just ahead of a meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BRICS summit. This meeting initiated monthly high-level engagements focused on border management and broader cooperation, including travel, visas, and academic exchanges, though India remains sceptical amid persistent mistrust.
The report also outlined China’s broader national strategy of achieving the ‘great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation’ by 2049, aiming to expand its global influence and field a world-class military capable of safeguarding its interests. Central to this vision are China’s three ‘core interests’: maintaining CCP control, promoting economic development, and defending sovereignty and territorial claims. Beijing has extended these core interests to include Taiwan and disputed territories such as the South China Sea, the Senkaku Islands, and India’s Arunachal Pradesh.
Between China and India, it is not only mutual distrust but also China’s brutal ambition and expansionist policies that fuel tensions – policies that disregard borders and ground realities. China’s claim over Arunachal is a prime example. These claims are unrealistic because the realities on the ground are entirely different. Arunachal is a state that safeguards India’s strategic interests, and any assertion that contradicts this reality can only be considered misguided and costly for those who pursue it.