UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India, China discuss ways to push border delimitation

Q1. The institution of Special Representatives for the India-China boundary question owes its origin to which one of the following?

  • A. The 1993 Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control
  • B. The 2003 Declaration on Principles for Relations and Comprehensive Cooperation, signed in Beijing
  • C. The 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for a boundary settlement
  • D. The 2013 Agreement on Border Defence Cooperation between the two Governments

Q2. With reference to the Special Representatives' mechanism on the India-China boundary question, consider the following: 1. It has functioned since 2003 as the highest political-level channel between the two countries on the boundary question. 2. India is represented in it by the National Security Adviser and China by a Politburo member who also holds the office of Foreign Minister. 3. Its remit extends to the boundary running along roughly 3,488 km of the India-China border. 4. It was constituted by the agreement that also set up a working mechanism for consultation and coordination on border affairs. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It has functioned since 2003 as the highest political-level channel between the two countries on the boundary question.
  2. India is represented in it by the National Security Adviser and China by a Politburo member who also holds the office of Foreign Minister.
  3. Its remit extends to the boundary running along roughly 3,488 km of the India-China border.
  4. It was constituted by the agreement that also set up a working mechanism for consultation and coordination on border affairs.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q3. In the statements issued after the August 2026 India-China boundary talks, both sides spoke of advancing "border delimitation" negotiations. In boundary practice, this expression refers to which one of the following?

  • A. The physical marking of an already agreed boundary on the ground through pillars and joint field surveys
  • B. The mutual thinning out of troops and equipment from forward deployments in sensitive border sectors
  • C. The negotiated fixing of the alignment of the boundary in agreed language and its depiction on maps
  • D. The restoration of patrolling by each side up to points traditionally accessed by its own troops

Q4. The August 2026 India-China discussions in Beijing on advancing boundary delimitation negotiations, strengthening border management and improving mechanism building were held under which mechanism, and at what level?

  • A. The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination, at Joint Secretary and Director General level
  • B. The Corps Commander level talks, between the senior-most field commanders of the two armies
  • C. The Expert Level Mechanism on trans-border rivers, at the level of technical and water resources officials
  • D. The Special Representatives' Dialogue, between India's National Security Adviser and China's Foreign Minister

Q5. Consider the following statements regarding the India-China boundary: 1. The Line of Actual Control is a jointly delineated line, agreed and marked on maps exchanged between the two sides in all sectors. 2. The line negotiated at the Simla Convention of 1913-14 and named after the chief British negotiator forms the basis of the alignment in the Eastern Sector. 3. China occupies about 38,000 sq km of Indian territory in the Eastern Sector, comprising Aksai Chin and adjoining pockets. 4. In the Middle Sector, the Chinese claim on Indian territory extends to roughly 2,000 sq km. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Line of Actual Control is a jointly delineated line, agreed and marked on maps exchanged between the two sides in all sectors.
  2. The line negotiated at the Simla Convention of 1913-14 and named after the chief British negotiator forms the basis of the alignment in the Eastern Sector.
  3. China occupies about 38,000 sq km of Indian territory in the Eastern Sector, comprising Aksai Chin and adjoining pockets.
  4. In the Middle Sector, the Chinese claim on Indian territory extends to roughly 2,000 sq km.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 2 only

Q6. India's border with China runs along how many Indian States/Union Territories?

  • A. Three
  • B. Four
  • C. Five
  • D. Six

Q7. On the Indian side, the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs is operationalised by which one of the following?

  • A. The Ministry of External Affairs, its delegation being headed by the Joint Secretary (East Asia)
  • B. The Ministry of Home Affairs, its Border Management Division alone handling all such consultations
  • C. The Ministry of Defence, its Director General of Military Operations exclusively leading the delegation
  • D. The National Security Council Secretariat, which alone conducts every border consultation with China

Q8. Consider the following statements about the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs: 1. It was set up at the fifteenth round of the Special Representatives' talks held in New Delhi in January 2012. 2. Its Chinese delegation is led by the Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Chinese foreign ministry. 3. Its meeting of May 2026 was held in New Delhi and was confined solely to demarcation in the Middle Sector. 4. It is empowered to conclude the final boundary settlement, thereby superseding the Special Representatives' mechanism. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It was set up at the fifteenth round of the Special Representatives' talks held in New Delhi in January 2012.
  2. Its Chinese delegation is led by the Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Chinese foreign ministry.
  3. Its meeting of May 2026 was held in New Delhi and was confined solely to demarcation in the Middle Sector.
  4. It is empowered to conclude the final boundary settlement, thereby superseding the Special Representatives' mechanism.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q9. The Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A protocol prescribing modalities for implementing confidence building measures in the military field along the LAC
  • B. A framework of criteria on the basis of which a package settlement of the boundary is to be negotiated
  • C. A treaty fixing the boundary alignment in the Middle Sector and providing for its marking on the ground
  • D. An accord setting out procedures to be followed when patrols of the two sides meet in areas of differing perception

Q10. Consider the following pairs of India-China instruments and the years in which they were signed: 1. Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control — 1993 2. Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the Boundary Question — 2003 3. Agreement on the Establishment of a Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs — 2012 4. Agreement on Border Defence Cooperation — 2015 In how many of the above pairs is the year correctly matched?

  • A. Only one
  • B. Only two
  • C. Only three
  • D. All four

Q11. Consider the following as steps in the normalisation of India-China relations achieved since 2025: 1. Completion of the demarcation of the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Sector. 2. Resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra through the Lipulekh and Nathu La routes. 3. Resumption of direct commercial flight services between the two countries after a gap of about five years. 4. Resumption of traditional border trade through the designated border passes. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Completion of the demarcation of the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Sector.
  2. Resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra through the Lipulekh and Nathu La routes.
  3. Resumption of direct commercial flight services between the two countries after a gap of about five years.
  4. Resumption of traditional border trade through the designated border passes.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 2, 3 and 4 only

Q12. In the establishment of an international land boundary, which one of the following stages comes first?

  • A. Delimitation, in which the two governments define the line in agreed terms and depict it on maps
  • B. Demarcation, which must invariably be completed on the ground before any line can be described
  • C. Boundary administration, which is the routine upkeep of pillars and joint inspection of the marked line
  • D. Boundary maintenance survey, in which each side unilaterally verifies the alignment claimed by the other