China (India & Neighbourhood).
Syllabus: UPSC Mains GS2: India & neighbourhood, groupings, international institutions, diaspora
India-China relations for UPSC: 1962 war, LAC sectors, 1993-2013 border agreements, Doklam and Galwan, 2024 disengagement, trade deficit, Brahmaputra and BRI.
On 19 October 2026 China’s Commerce Ministry announced export controls on tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and related items from 18 November, calling them clearly dual-use. India imports TBMs for metro, rail and border tunnels and has faced customs delays on Chinese machines since 2024. China also announced controls on some drones.
UPSC angle: Prelims: export control regimes, SCOMET, Wassenaar, MTCR. · Mains GS-II/III: China dependence and supply-chain resilience.
19 Oct 2026
On 16 September 2026 the MEA rejected the so-called Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission as having no legal basis. It said there is no boundary between Pakistan and China, the whole of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India, and India has never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963.
UPSC angle: Prelims: 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement. · Mains: India's position on PoK.
16 Sep 2026
On 12 September 2026, on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both welcomed steady progress since their meeting in Tianjin in August 2025 and agreed that differences should not become disputes. The PM stressed peace in border areas and the "three mutuals": respect, sensitivity and interest.
UPSC angle: Mains: Prospects of India–China normalisation.
12 Sep 2026
On 23 June 2026 MEA said that in talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in Delhi for the BRICS NSAs meeting, the National Security Advisor stressed stable, predictable and constructive ties to build trust. Each side must consistently show sensitivity to the other's core concerns. MEA framed India's approach as mutual sensitivity, mutual interests and mutual respect.
UPSC angle: Prelims: none. · Mains: India-China normalisation.
23 Jun 2026
The three trade passes are a classic Prelims match: pass, State and year.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Lipulekh (Uttarakhand), Shipki La (Himachal), Nathu La (Sikkim). · Mains: Indians recruited into foreign armies.
19 Dec 2025
UP had the largest share of evacuees in the reply, which says a lot about where Gulf and Israel workers come from.
UPSC angle: Prelims: none. · Mains: protection of emigrant workers; cyber slavery.
12 Dec 2025