An unrelated video showing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) perform a live-fire drill at a training ground in northern China in November this year is being shared with a false claim that it shows a military build-up near the Arunachal Pradesh border.
The Claim: Video shows Chinese military build-up near Arunachal Pradesh border
The 1.34 minutes video was posted on X by the handle '@JuKrick_', with the caption, "China has started massive military build-up near Arunachal Pradesh." The X handle has been for sharing digitally altered videos of top Indian defence personnel, pushing false and pro-Pakistan claims.
The X account, which has an AI generated profile picture, appears to be a part of an influence operation targeting India through deepfakes and other disinformation tactics. The ongoing disinformation campaign has targeted India's military establishment and political leadership.
The video was picked up several other Indian handles and posted with the caption, "BREAKING: Why is Narendra Modi and the MEA quiet. China has started a massive military build-up near Arunachal Pradesh."
Click here to view an archive.
What We Found
1) Video from November 2025 PLA traning drill by 78th Group Army under China's Northern Theatre Command
We found that the viral video was originally posted by China Global Television Network (CGTN) on November 13, 2025, with the cation, "PLA ground force conducts live-fire drills featuring high tech drones, robotic dogs". CGTN is a state run media outlet in China.
The report mentions that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) ground force unit had conducted a live-fire drill featuring the utilisation of new combat tactics and high tech equipment including long-endurance drones and robotic dogs. It states that the live-fire drill was conducted by a ground force unit of the PLA’s 78th Group Army.
2) PLA's unit in northern/northeast China
The 78th Group Army is responsible for operations in northeast China and shares borders with Mongolia, Russia and North Korea. Its headquarters is in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.
Whereas, Arunachal Pradesh and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India fall under the PLA’s Western Theater Command. Chinese state media reports on this drill do not mention the Western Theater Command, nor do they suggest that the exercise took place near the India–China border.