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

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing on Monday, August 24, 2026, for the 25th round of Special Representatives talks on the India-China boundary question.

Doval will meet Chinese Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, his counterpart as Special Representative, on Tuesday. He is also scheduled to call on Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the talks would include in-depth communication on the boundary question. The sides will continue discussion in the spirit of common understandings between leaders to keep border areas peaceful and tranquil. They will also exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues.

The visit follows the 24th round held in August 2025 during Wang Yi's trip to India. At that meeting both sides agreed on the need to take a political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship while seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for settlement of the boundary question in accordance with the 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles.

They also decided to set up an Expert Group under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on border affairs to explore early harvest in boundary delimitation. General Level Mechanisms were to be created in the Eastern and Middle Sectors in addition to the existing one in the Western Sector.

Earlier this month, on August 6, officials from both sides met under the WMCC and reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control. They held detailed exchanges on boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism-building and trans-border cooperation.

The current talks come against the backdrop of gradual steps to stabilise ties after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and the prolonged military stand-off in eastern Ladakh. Both sides have completed disengagement in several friction points under the October 2024 arrangements.

Doval's visit takes place a few weeks before India hosts the BRICS Summit on September 12. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend, which would mark his first visit to India in seven years and could include bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Special Representatives mechanism remains the main channel for negotiations on the boundary question. Recent references to border delimitation suggest both sides are examining the possibility of an early harvest agreement in some sectors while working toward a complete framework.

Stable border management and progress on the boundary issue form part of the broader effort to restore normalcy in bilateral relations, including trade and people-to-people exchanges that had been constrained after 2020.

Officials on both sides have noted progress toward gradual normalisation in recent months. The outcome of Tuesday's meeting will indicate how far the two countries are prepared to move on outstanding boundary differences ahead of the high-level engagement next month.