Line of Actual Control (LAC)
Distinction from LoC and International Border
The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is the de facto border between India and China, spanning approximately 3,488 km from Ladakh in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east. Unlike the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan (which is delineated), the LAC has never been formally demarcated, and India and China hold different perceptions of where it lies — the root cause of recurring border incidents.
- LAC length: approximately 3,488 km (India's estimate; China does not officially acknowledge the same figure)
- Three sectors: Western (Ladakh — most contentious; includes Aksai Chin, claimed by India as part of Ladakh but administered by China), Middle (Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh — smallest and least disputed), and Eastern (Arunachal Pradesh — China claims as "South Tibet")
- LAC is NOT a legally agreed boundary — it emerged from the 1962 war and subsequent agreements
- Distinction from LoC (India-Pakistan): LoC was formally converted from the ceasefire line under the Shimla Agreement (1972) and is delineated on maps; LAC is not
- Distinction from International Border (IB): The IB is the formally demarcated boundary (e.g., India-Pakistan border in Punjab/Rajasthan/Gujarat)
- Key agreements: Agreements on Maintenance of Peace and Tranquillity along the LAC (1993), Agreement on CBMs in the Military Field along the LAC (1996), Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (2013)
- 1993 Agreement: Signed during PM Narasimha Rao's visit to China; first formal agreement to maintain peace and tranquillity along the LAC
● Tracked since February 11, 2026 · last seen August 26, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
International Relations
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
International Relations
India-China Trade Imbalance
Polity & Governance
Arunachal Pradesh
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Special Representatives (SR) Mechanism on the India-China Boundary Question
Polity & Governance
Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP)
Polity & Governance
Special Representatives (SR) Mechanism on the India-China Boundary Question (2003)
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