India and China Hold 25th Round of Boundary Talks in Beijing
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and is scheduled to hold discussions with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the unresolved border question ahead of a possible Xi Jinping visit for the BRICS summit.
Beijing1 min read
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India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing on Monday for the 25th round of Special Representatives talks on the boundary question. On Tuesday he met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng before scheduled discussions with Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The mechanism, established in 2003, remains the primary channel for addressing the 3,488-kilometre disputed border. The previous round took place in August 2025 and produced a set of common understandings aimed at keeping the border areas peaceful and tranquil.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the two sides would continue in-depth communication in the spirit of consensus reached by their leaders. The agenda also covers bilateral relations and international and regional issues.
The talks occur against a backdrop of gradual stabilisation after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and the subsequent military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Both governments have taken steps to reduce friction along the Line of Actual Control while fundamental territorial claims remain unresolved.
Doval’s visit comes weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected in New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12-13, his first trip to India in seven years. Officials on both sides view the Special Representatives meeting as an opportunity to consolidate recent gains and manage differences ahead of the high-level encounter.
Indian Embassy statements emphasised discussion of peace and tranquillity in the border areas as well as broader economic, political and multilateral engagement. Chinese statements stressed the value of regular talks as a signal of improving ties.
Structural differences between the two countries have not disappeared, according to Chinese strategic affairs scholars who spoke ahead of the meeting. The focus, they said, remains institutionalising stability rather than resolving the underlying boundary dispute in a single round.
The outcome of Tuesday’s talks will help determine the tone of the September summit and the pace of any further disengagement or confidence-building measures along the frontier.
