India denies Chinese military intrusion into border areas of Arunachal Pradesh

India denied reports of an invasion by Chinese troops on Wednesday (August 19). Kiren Rijiju, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (Bharatiya Janata Party), posted a video on the social platform

The village Rijiju mentioned is located in the disputed Himalayan border area between China and India. In late July, local media reported that patrolling troops from India and China met near Taksing. Subsequently, the Indian opposition Congress Party expressed high-profile concerns about the territory of Arunachal Pradesh.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of China's southern Tibet region, while India insists the state is an integral part of its territory. There is a 3,500-kilometer-long border between China and India, and there are disputes in many areas. Different perceptions of the direction of the border often lead to confusion and conflict. Beijing and New Delhi often accuse each other of trying to seize territory.

In 2020, soldiers from the two countries had bloody clashes on the border between Tibet and India's Ladakh region, resulting in the deaths of 20 people on the Indian side and 4 deaths on the Chinese side. Since then, relations between the two countries have deteriorated.

Last week, India's Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that it was discussing with China the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas. Beijing has also tried to downplay those concerns, with China's Foreign Ministry saying the situation at the border was generally stable.

New Delhi will host the BRICS summit in September, and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the meeting. Although the conflict in 2020 has plunged the two countries into a long period of distrust, relations between the two neighbors have gradually improved, and two-way direct flights and border trade are returning to normal.