Archive · 24 Aug 2026
Doval Heads to Beijing for 25th India-China Boundary Talks
Ajit Doval from India is going to Beijing to meet Wang Yi from China.
They will discuss the disagreement over where the India-China border should be.
This will be the 25th meeting under a dialogue process created in 2003.
The process has not solved the border dispute, but it gives both countries a way to discuss tensions.
India says peaceful border areas are necessary for better relations.
China says the border situation is generally stable and that both sides should keep communicating.
The meeting will take place before a BRICS summit in India.
Chinese President Xi Jinping might attend the summit and could meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is scheduled to travel to Beijing on Monday.
Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will hold the 25th Special Representatives talks on Tuesday.
The dialogue mechanism, established in 2003, addresses the unresolved 3,488-kilometre India-China boundary dispute.
The talks will precede the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, where Xi Jinping may attend.
India says border peace is essential to bilateral ties, while China describes the border situation as generally stable.
- Who
- India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the designated Special Representatives for the boundary talks.
- What
- The 25th round of India-China Special Representatives talks on the unresolved boundary dispute and border stability.
- When
- Doval is scheduled to arrive on Monday, with talks planned for Tuesday; the reports were published on August 23, 2026.
- Where
- Beijing, China.
- Why
- To address the longstanding boundary dispute, manage recurring tensions, and support stability in India-China relations.
India's Position
China's Position
Border conditions and bilateral relations
India's Position
India says peace and tranquillity along the border and the Line of Actual Control are prerequisites for good relations, and that the frontier's condition will strongly influence the broader relationship.
China's Position
China says the China-India border situation is generally stable and that both countries should maintain communication through diplomatic and military channels.
Military activity near Arunachal Pradesh
India's Position
Indian officials have described border-related matters as serious amid reports of increased or aggressive Chinese military activity in Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Subansiri region.
China's Position
China has characterized the overall border situation as generally stable.
Status of Arunachal Pradesh
India's Position
India says Arunachal Pradesh is an inalienable and integral part of India and that Chinese efforts to rename locations cannot change this reality.
China's Position
China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet and has released its own names for places in the region since 2017.
- Meeting
- 25th India-China Special Representatives talks
- Participants
- Ajit Doval and Wang Yi
- Boundary length
- 3,488 kilometres
- Dialogue mechanism
- Established in 2003
- Location
- Beijing, China
- Related summit
- BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13
- Recent coordination
- China said the two sides held the 36th Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination meeting and agreed to maintain diplomatic and military communication.
- Earlier meeting
- Doval and Wang last met in August 2025 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin.
Sources
Ajit Doval to meet China's Foreign minister Wang Yi on 25 Aug after last year's SCO summit—Why is NSA visiting Beijing?
Doval to Visit China on Monday to Attend Special Representatives Talks With FM Wang
Doval's China visit today for Special Representative talks
Doval to visit China Monday for Special Representative talks
NSA Doval to visit China on Monday to attend Special Representatives talks with FM Wang
