Ajit Doval Arrives in Beijing for Boundary Talks as Xi Jinping Weighs India Visit
India's National Security Advisor begins the 25th round of Special Representatives talks with Wang Yi. Sources say Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to attend the September BRICS summit in New Delhi with a large delegation, his first visit in seven years.
Beijing2 min read
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Beijing, August 24, 2026. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived in the Chinese capital on Monday for the 25th round of Special Representatives talks on the India-China boundary question.
Doval is scheduled to meet Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi on Tuesday. He will also call on Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. The Chinese Foreign Ministry described the talks as an opportunity for in-depth communication on the boundary and for exchanges on bilateral, regional and international issues.
The meeting follows the 24th round held last year and a Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination session earlier this month. Both sides have described the border situation as generally stable while continuing to stress the need to maintain peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control.
The visit coincides with reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13. Three sources told Reuters that Xi would travel with a delegation of around 400 officials, more than double the size of the group that accompanied him on his last India visit in 2019. Such a trip would mark his first to India in seven years and the first since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.
China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing attaches great importance to BRICS cooperation and supports India as the current chair in hosting a successful summit. It offered no confirmation of Xi's travel plans.
Indian officials have linked the quality of overall bilateral relations to the situation on the ground along the border. Recent discussions under the Working Mechanism included exchanges on boundary delimitation, border management and the possibility of early harvest agreements in certain sectors.
The Special Representatives mechanism remains the principal channel for seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for settlement of the boundary question, guided by the 2005 political parameters agreement.
A successful Xi visit would provide an opportunity for leaders to take stock of the relationship and signal that the two countries can manage differences while expanding practical cooperation. Trade volumes remain large, yet India continues to seek reductions in its deficit and greater diversification of critical supplies.
Doval's presence in Beijing this week is therefore both a continuation of established diplomacy and a preparatory step for the high-level engagement expected next month. Outcomes from the Tuesday talks will be watched for any concrete movement on border management or confidence-building measures that could ease the path for the presidential visit.
