Indian and Chinese troops stand face-to-face along the border. (file photo)
The Indian Army has said that it will continue to patrol up to the Line of Actual Control, as the Chinese side called India's patrolling in the area a "transgression".
The Indian Army has objected to the terminology that the Chinese used to refer to its patrols in Arunachal Pradesh's Asaphila.
The issue was raised at a 'Border Personnel Meeting' (BPM) on March 15 in Kibithu, during which the Indian Army said that the area in the upper Subansiri region of Arunachal Pradesh belongs to India and it has regularly been carrying out patrols there.
"China's protest to our patrolling in Asaphila is surprising," news agency PTI said quoting a source, adding there were several instances of
Chinese intrusions in the area which had been seriously taken up by the Indian side in the past.
Under the BPM mechanism, both sides can register their protest over any incident of transgressions as there are varying perceptions about the LAC between the two countries.
The delegation of China's Peoples Liberation Army specifically mentioned extensive patrolling in Asaphila by Indian troops, saying such "violations" may escalate tensions between the two sides in the area.
Rejecting the Chinese protest, the Indian side said its troops were aware of the alignment of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the Army would continue to carry out patrols up to the LAC, the de facto border between the two countries.
Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam from June 16 last year.
The PTI report further said the Chinese military specifically mentioned large-scale Indian patrolling in Asaphila near Fishtail 1 on December 21, 22 and 23 last.
Indian and Chinese troops hold BPMs to resolve issues triggering tensions along the border. There are five BPM points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Bum La and Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh, Daulat Beg Oldi and Chushul in Ladakh, and Nathu La in Sikkim.
The BPM on March 15 had taken place at the Daimai post on the Chinese side in the Kibithu area.
At the meeting, the Chinese also accused the Indian side of damaging its road building equipment when a road laying party left its gear in Tuting in December last year following a protest by India.
This allegation was also rejected by the Indian Army, the report said.
The Chinese road building team had crossed into Indian territory, about one kilometre inside the Line of Actual Control in the Tuting area, in the last week of December.
The road construction team left the area after Indian troops asked them to stop the activity.
The Indian Army has increased war-fighting drills to deal with all possible scenarios along the LAC following the
Doklam standoff, the PTI report said.
"We are fully prepared to deal with any situation," said a senior Army official.
Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam from June 16 last year after the Indian side stopped the building of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. The face-off ended on August 28.
India has deployed more troops and increased patrolling in the mountainous terrains along the borders with China following the Doklam face-off, the report said.
India is also strengthening its surveillance mechanism to keep an eye on Chinese activity along the borders in the strategically sensitive Tibetan region and has even been regularly deploying choppers to carry out recce.
The government has been focusing on strengthening its defences along the border with China.
In January, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had said the time had come for the country to shift its focus from its borders with Pakistan to the frontier with China, reflecting the seriousness of the situation.
(with inputs from PTI)