India, China Hold 25th Round of Special Representatives Talks in Beijing to Stabilise Ties Ahead of BRICS Summit
Beijing (Agency): India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi convened the 25th round of Special Representatives (SRs) talks on the boundary question in Beijing on Tuesday, focusing on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control and advancing the gradual normalisation of bilateral relations.
Doval, India’s Special Representative on the India-China boundary issue, arrived in the Chinese capital on Monday for a two-day visit at the invitation of Wang Yi, who serves as China’s Special Representative. The mechanism, established in 2003, addresses the long-standing dispute along the approximately 3,488-km border.
Prior to the formal talks, Doval called on Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng. The two discussed ways to strengthen peace and tranquillity in the border areas and further improve bilateral relations across economic, political and multilateral forums, in line with the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries, according to the Indian Embassy in Beijing.
Han Zheng emphasised that China and India should view bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective and work together to implement the important consensus reached by their leaders. He called for enhancing strategic mutual trust, tapping cooperation potential, maintaining multilateral coordination, properly managing differences, and promoting the sustained and stable development of ties.
Doval noted that as the world’s two most populous and fastest-growing major economies, India and China have a historic opportunity for cooperation. India stands ready to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, properly address the boundary question, and make new progress in bilateral relations.
The talks come amid efforts to consolidate the thaw in relations that followed the October 2024 meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia. Ties had been severely strained after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and the prolonged military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Both sides have since taken steps including disengagement arrangements, resumption of direct flights, relaxed visas, and restart of the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian had earlier stated that the SRs mechanism remains the main channel for boundary negotiations and an important platform for communication on issues of mutual interest. The two sides were expected to hold in-depth discussions on the boundary question as well as bilateral, regional and international issues, continuing in the spirit of understandings reached by the leaders to keep the border areas peaceful and tranquil.
The engagement assumes added significance ahead of the BRICS Summit scheduled in New Delhi on September 12-13. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend, though confirmation remains pending, potentially opening the door for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi. Officials on both sides view the current talks as an opportunity to take stock of the relationship and lay groundwork for higher-level engagements.
Differences over the boundary, including in Arunachal Pradesh, continue to figure in the relationship. However, the regular high-level dialogue signals a shared interest in preventing escalation and exploring pathways for more stable and predictable ties.
