Ajit Doval heads to Beijing for key India-China border talks

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is scheduled to travel to Beijing for the 25th round of discussions between India and China’s Special Representatives on the long-running boundary dispute.

Doval, who represents India in the Special Representatives mechanism, is expected to meet Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi on Tuesday. The talks will focus primarily on the unresolved border issue, while also providing an opportunity to review the broader state of bilateral relations.

The visit comes at an important diplomatic juncture, with India preparing to host the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. China has not formally confirmed President Xi Jinping’s attendance, but Indian officials remain hopeful that he will participate.

If Xi travels to India, the summit could provide an opportunity for another meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin in August 2025.

A possible Xi visit would be particularly significant because it would mark his first trip to India in seven years. Relations between the two countries have remained under strain since the 2020 military confrontation in eastern Ladakh.

The Special Representatives process was established in 2003 as a political channel to address the boundary dispute along the roughly 3,488-kilometre India-China frontier. Despite 25 rounds of negotiations, the two sides have yet to reach a final settlement.

In recent months, India and China have taken steps towards reducing tensions along the Line of Actual Control and rebuilding wider engagement. These efforts have included discussions on connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.

Doval’s talks with Wang are therefore expected to serve two purposes: continuing negotiations on the border and assessing whether the recent improvement in relations can be expanded into a broader diplomatic reset.