Beijing, August 25, 2026: India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is in Beijing for the 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks on the India-China boundary question, one of the most important diplomatic engagements between the two countries in recent months.
Doval, who is India’s Special Representative for the boundary issue, is scheduled to hold the talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The discussions are centred on the long-running border dispute and the need to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Before the formal talks, Doval met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing. Both sides discussed border peace, stability and broader India-China relations. The meeting comes at a sensitive time as New Delhi and Beijing continue efforts to stabilise ties after years of military and diplomatic tensions.
The India-China relationship suffered a major setback following the 2020 clashes in eastern Ladakh, which resulted in deaths on both sides and led to a prolonged military standoff. Although the two countries have since taken steps towards disengagement and improving relations, the boundary dispute remains unresolved.
The current talks are also important because they come ahead of the BRICS summit scheduled to be hosted by India in New Delhi in September. Reuters reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend, although his participation had not yet been formally confirmed at the time of reporting. Such a visit would be his first to India in seven years and could provide another opportunity for high-level engagement between the two countries.
For India, the priority remains ensuring peace and predictability along the border, while also managing the broader economic and diplomatic relationship with China. For Beijing, improving bilateral ties could help reduce tensions with a major regional power. The outcome of the Special Representatives’ talks could therefore have significance well beyond the border issue itself.
The latest diplomatic engagement indicates that dialogue between India and China is continuing despite unresolved strategic differences, with both sides attempting to prevent another serious escalation along the disputed Himalayan frontier.