Ajit Doval to visit China for boundary talks ahead of Xi’s India trip

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is scheduled to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Tuesday, following the last year's SCO summit. The 25th round of negotiations on India-China border dispute will be held during the visit. The ongoing Special Representatives mechanism, established in 2003, aims to find a comprehensive solution to the long-standing border issue that spans 3,488 km.

Although the mechanism has yet to resolve the dispute, both nations regard it as valuable for managing bilateral tensions. Doval and Wang previously met in August 2025 at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin. This upcoming round of talks is particularly significant as it precedes Chinese President Xi Jinping's expected visit to India for the BRICS summit on September 12 and 13.

There has been no official confirmation of Xi's visit, but officials from both countries remain hopeful. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar underscored the importance of peace and stability in border areas for improving relations between India and China. He expressed concerns over recent reports of aggressive maneuvers by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that the border situation was generally stable, and China and India agreed to maintain communication via diplomatic and military channels. India rejects Beijing's objections to its naming of 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an inalienable part of the country.