NSA Ajit Doval Heads To Beijing For India-China Talks On LAC Stability, De-escalation

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval heads to Beijing today for the 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks with China, with border stability and de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) expected to be at the centre of discussions.

Doval will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for the talks on the long-standing boundary dispute. His visit comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to India for the BRICS Summit.

The Special Representatives’ dialogue, established in 2003, is aimed at finding a political solution to the India-China boundary dispute. The disputed border stretches over 3,488 km, with limited progress made over the years.

India-China Engagement

India-China relations deteriorated sharply after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and the prolonged military standoff in eastern Ladakh. High-level engagement remained largely frozen for nearly five years before the Special Representatives’ dialogue resumed in December 2024 with the 23rd round in Beijing.

The 24th round was held in New Delhi in August 2025. Doval’s visit marks his first trip to Beijing for the Special Representatives’ talks since the dialogue resumed.

Foreign Affairs expert Waiel Awwad said Doval’s visit was a strong message from India about its willingness to improve ties with China.

Awwad told ANI, “This is a very strong message by India letting the National Security Advisor go to Beijing. It's a strong message in the sense that India is ready to make good relations with China, provided that the border should be quiet, the tranquillity and stability should be there, and all the disputes should be solved before any kind of an asset or a trust-building measure should be taking place in terms of the economy and the bilateral relation.”

“I believe this is the first step India wanted to give,” Awwad added.

He also noted, “Secondly, it's also quite important for India and China to be good partners and to stabilise Asia, especially at a time when geopolitical changes are taking place so much, as a first step and having a direct impact on the future stability in South and Southeast Asia.”

Boundary Framework

The meeting is expected to review the situation along the LAC and assess progress made after earlier agreements.

The visit follows an August 6 meeting between officials of the two countries under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs. Both sides reviewed the border situation and discussed “boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism-building and trans-border cooperation”, according to an official statement.

At the previous Special Representatives’ talks in August 2025, India and China agreed on the need for a broader political approach towards bilateral ties while working towards a “fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework” for settling the boundary question.

The discussions are linked to the 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question, which marked the completion of the first stage of the boundary settlement process.

Recent references to “boundary delimitation” suggest that both sides may explore limited agreements in some areas before reaching a final settlement.

Xi Visit Adds Significance

Doval’s visit also comes ahead of the BRICS Summit in Delhi, where Chinese President Xi Jinping could visit and hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Foreign Affairs expert Robinder Sachdev told ANI that the timing of Doval’s visit was important given the upcoming summit and possible Modi-Xi engagement. “The visit of NSA Doval to Beijing is coming at a very important time. We soon also have the upcoming BRICS summit happening in Delhi, in which Xi Jinping could probably be visiting also, and a bilateral with Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Sachdev added.

He said it was time for both countries to “look and address the boundary issue honestly”.

“Both countries are saying the same thing. The issue is to keep the thought going...the two nations have quite a strong degree of cooperation ahead,” Sachdev added.

The talks are linked to the 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question, which marked the completion of the first stage of the boundary settlement process.