Ajit Doval Arrives in Beijing for 25th Round of India-China Boundary Talks

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing on Monday for a two-day visit that centres on the 25th round of Special Representatives talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The discussions, set for Tuesday, will focus on the India-China boundary question. Doval will also call on Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the talks would involve in-depth communication on the boundary question and an exchange of views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues. He noted that the previous round in August 2025 produced several common understandings and that both sides would continue work in the spirit of those understandings to keep the border areas peaceful.

The visit takes place against a backdrop of continued differences over Arunachal Pradesh and the broader Line of Actual Control. Relations between the two countries strained after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and the subsequent military stand-off in eastern Ladakh. Both sides have since taken steps to stabilise the situation, with recent meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination describing the border as generally stable.

The timing carries extra weight. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to travel to India next month for the BRICS summit scheduled for September 12-13. That would mark Xi’s first visit to India in several years and would likely include bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Officials on both sides view the Special Representatives meeting as preparation for that higher-level engagement.

At last year’s talks, the two sides agreed to set up an expert group under the Working Mechanism to explore early harvest opportunities in boundary delimitation. They also discussed creating general-level mechanisms in the eastern and middle sectors to match the existing arrangement in the western sector. Recent references to border delimitation suggest both sides are examining limited agreements in specific areas while a full framework remains under negotiation.

India has repeatedly stated that the overall state of bilateral ties will depend on the situation along the border. China has described the current border situation as generally stable and has called for continued communication through diplomatic and military channels.

The Special Representatives mechanism remains the principal political channel for the boundary dispute. Doval serves as India’s Special Representative; Wang Yi holds the corresponding role for China. The outcome of Tuesday’s meeting will be watched closely for any concrete steps toward reducing friction along the Line of Actual Control and for signals about the broader relationship ahead of the BRICS summit.