Beijing: India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing on Tuesday, August 25, ahead of the 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks on the India-China boundary question. The meeting focused on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border and improving wider bilateral relations.
Doval, who is also India’s Special Representative for the boundary question, is in Beijing for a two-day visit. He is scheduled to hold the 25th round of boundary talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is China’s Special Representative on the issue. The talks are being held after a gap of about a year and are aimed at taking forward discussions on the long-standing border dispute.
According to the Indian Embassy in Beijing, Doval and Han discussed ways to strengthen peace and stability in the border areas. They also explored measures to further improve India-China ties in economic, political and multilateral areas, in line with the understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries.
The meeting comes as New Delhi and Beijing continue efforts to stabilise relations following years of tensions along the Line of Actual Control. Relations deteriorated sharply after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and the subsequent military stand-off in eastern Ladakh. Although the two sides have taken steps towards disengagement and restoring dialogue, the boundary issue remains a major challenge.
India has consistently maintained that peace and tranquillity along the border are essential for the overall development of bilateral relations. The upcoming talks are therefore expected to focus not only on the boundary question but also on mechanisms to prevent fresh tensions along the frontier.
Doval’s visit also carries wider diplomatic significance. It comes ahead of the BRICS summit scheduled to be hosted by India in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the summit, although his participation has not yet been officially confirmed. A potential Modi-Xi meeting could provide another opportunity to discuss the future direction of India-China relations.
The latest Doval-Han meeting signals that both countries are keeping high-level diplomatic channels open while attempting to manage their differences. The outcome of the boundary talks with Wang Yi will be closely watched for signs of further progress on border stability and the broader India-China relationship.
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