NSA Ajit Doval heads to Beijing for 25th round of India-China Special Representatives talks

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will travel to Beijing on Monday for the 25th round of Special Representatives talks on the India-China boundary question. He is scheduled to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday.

The Special Representatives mechanism was established in 2003 to seek a comprehensive settlement of the 3,488-kilometre border. The two sides last met in New Delhi in August 2025. Talks had been largely frozen after the 2020 Galwan clash and resumed in December 2024.

This will be Doval’s first visit to Beijing for the SR process since the restart. Both governments have signalled that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control remain essential for the broader relationship.

The meeting takes place ahead of the BRICS summit scheduled for New Delhi on 12-13 September. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend, though Beijing has not confirmed. Officials on both sides see a possible Modi-Xi meeting on the sidelines as an opportunity to discuss further steps.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar reiterated on Saturday that border peace is a prerequisite for normal ties. The agenda is expected to cover the status of the October 2024 disengagement agreement, de-escalation measures, and longer-term delimitation questions.

India continues to press for early harvest outcomes on boundary alignment while managing day-to-day friction points. China has emphasised the need to keep differences from affecting the overall relationship.

The talks remain the principal formal channel for addressing the unresolved border. No breakthrough on final alignment is expected, but both sides treat the process as useful for preventing escalation.