NSA 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 a two-day visit at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that Doval, India's Special Representative on the India-China Boundary Question, will hold the 25th round of Special Representatives talks with Wang Yi, China's Special Representative, on Tuesday, August 25.

During the visit, Doval is also scheduled to call on Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the talks would involve in-depth communication on the boundary question. He noted that the Special Representatives mechanism is the main channel for negotiations on the boundary and an important platform for communication on issues of mutual interest.

Lin referred to the 24th round held in August last year, when the two sides had an in-depth exchange and reached a number of common understandings. This round would continue that process in the spirit of understandings between the leaders of the two countries, with the aim of jointly keeping the border areas peaceful and tranquil.

The visit comes ahead of the expected presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13. That summit could open the way for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first such visit by Xi in seven years.

India and China share a roughly 3,500-kilometre disputed border. Relations came under severe strain after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and the prolonged military stand-off in eastern Ladakh. Both sides have since taken steps to stabilise ties, including disengagement arrangements reached in October 2024.

Recent meetings under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs on August 6 reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control. Officials discussed boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism-building and trans-border cooperation.

Both sides agreed to maintain communication through diplomatic and military channels, including local commander-level meetings, to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding.

China has described the border situation as generally stable. India has stressed that the state of bilateral ties depends on developments in the border areas and the maintenance of peace and tranquillity along the LAC.

The Special Representatives mechanism was established in 2003. At the previous round, the two 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 set up an Expert Group under the WMCC to explore early harvest in boundary delimitation and the creation of General Level Mechanisms in the Eastern and Middle Sectors, in addition to the existing one in the Western Sector.

Doval and Wang met earlier in June on the sidelines of the BRICS National Security Advisers meeting in New Delhi. Those talks were described as constructive and forward-looking.

The outcome of the August 25 meeting will be watched closely for any progress on consolidating disengagement, restoring patrolling rights and preparing the ground for higher-level engagement around the BRICS summit.

Official statements from both capitals emphasise continued dialogue through established channels while the underlying differences over the alignment of the LAC and specific sectors remain unresolved.