Ajit Doval meets Chinese Foreign Minister for 25th border talks in Beijing

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will sit down with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday for the 25th round of boundary negotiations, a day after landing in Beijing on Monday. The Special Representatives' meeting, the principal mechanism for resolving the decades-old border dispute, will also see Mr. Doval call on Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.

Focus on boundary question

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian described the talks as "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". He said the two sides would hold "in-depth communication on the boundary question" and also exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues.

The spokesperson noted that during the 24th round in August last year, both countries "had an in-depth exchange of views on the boundary question and reached a number of common understandings". This round will continue those discussions "in the spirit of the common understandings between leaders of the two countries to jointly keep the border areas peaceful and tranquil," Mr. Lin said.

Timing ahead of Xi Jinping's India visit

The Beijing talks take place weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping's expected trip to India for the September 12 BRICS Summit, offering both governments a chance to take stock of the relationship. Bilateral ties have gradually normalised following the October 2024 meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Xi in Kazan, Russia.

Earlier in August, officials from both nations reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control when they met under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination 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 last year's SR talks, India and China agreed to set up an Expert Group under the WMCC "to explore Early Harvest in boundary delimitation in India-China border areas".

Source: The Hindu