NSA Ajit Doval arrives in Beijing, set for border talks with China’s Wang Yi on August 25

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National Security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing on Monday (August 24, 2026) ahead of the 25th round of talks between the Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China on the boundary question.

Mr. Doval will on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) meet with Politburo member and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, his counterpart as SR. He will also call on Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the talks would see “in-depth communication on the boundary question”. “The talks between the Special Representatives of China and India are the main channel for negotiations between China and India on the boundary question, and also an important platform for communication between the two sides on issues of mutual interest,” spokesperson Lin Jian said.

“In August last year, China and India successfully held the 24th round of talks during which the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the boundary question and reached a number of common understandings. During this round of talks, the two sides will continue the in-depth communication on the boundary question in the spirit of the common understandings between leaders of the two countries to jointly keep the border areas peaceful and tranquil.”

He said the two sides would also exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues.

The visit comes ahead of next month’s expected trip to India by Chinese President Xi Jinping for the September 12 BRICS Summit, and provides both sides the opportunity to take stock of the relationship.

Ties have gradually normalised following the October 2024 meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Xi in Kazan, Russia.

Earlier this month, both sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), when officials met under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs. Both sides “held detailed exchanges on issues related to boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism‑building and trans‑border cooperation”, according to a statement.

At the previous round of SR talks in August 2025, India and China agreed on setting up an Expert Group under the WMCC “to explore Early Harvest in boundary delimitation in India-China border areas”.

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