NEW DELHI: India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks in Beijing on Tuesday, with the two sides agreeing to continue dialogue on their long-running boundary dispute and seek a “fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable” settlement.
The discussions between the two countries’ Special Representatives were described by Beijing as “comprehensive, in-depth, friendly and candid”, as New Delhi said both sides agreed to “continue their work in seeking a political settlement of the boundary question in the context of their overall and long-term interests.”
During the visit, the two Special Representatives co-chaired the 25th round of the Special Representatives’ Talks on the India-China Boundary Question. According to the Indian statement, the two sides noted progress in implementing the important consensus reached by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan in October 2024 and Tianjin in August 2025. They also expressed satisfaction at the steady resumption of people-to-people and cross-border exchanges, including the ongoing Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and border trade through the three designated border trading passes.
Under the strategic guidance of Prime Minister Modi and President Xi, the two Special Representatives held a “candid and in-depth exchange of views” on the boundary question and agreed to continue working towards a political settlement, keeping in view their overall and long-term interests, the Indian statement said.
The Indian side also highlighted the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas for the continued development and progress of bilateral relations.
According to a Chinese readout, Wang and Doval held detailed discussions on the boundary question and bilateral relations, including advancing boundary delimitation negotiations, strengthening border management and control, improving existing mechanisms and promoting cross-border cooperation.
The two sides reaffirmed that they would follow the political guiding principles agreed in 2005 and make full use of the Special Representatives’ mechanism to work towards a “fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable package solution” to the boundary issue.
Wang said China and India were “important neighbors to each other”, as well as major developing countries and representatives of emerging economies. He argued that stable ties served the interests of both countries and had significance beyond the bilateral relationship.
“China-India relations have gone beyond the bilateral scope and carry global and strategic significance,” Wang said, according to the Chinese readout. He said Beijing was ready to work with New Delhi from a “strategic height and long-term perspective”, strengthen communication, improve mutual understanding and “eliminate differences” so the two countries could become “good neighbors and friends of amity as well as partners for mutual success.”
Wang also said both sides were implementing understandings reached through previous Special Representatives’ meetings and that institutional exchanges and cooperation were gradually resuming. He called for the two countries to learn from past experience and ensure that “dialogue, peace, consultation, and cooperation become the mainstream” in managing the boundary question.
Doval, according to the Chinese readout, similarly stressed the importance of a stable relationship, saying India and China were “partners for cooperation rather than rivals.”
He said a “stable, predictable, and forward-looking India-China relationship” served the common interests of the two peoples and was important for Asia and the wider world. Doval said that, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, “India-China relations have returned to the right track”, with peace maintained along the border and exchanges and cooperation in various areas gradually advancing.
India was willing to strengthen strategic communication with China, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and “effectively manage the border areas” while exploring solutions to the boundary dispute, the Chinese statement said.
The two sides also discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest, according to the Indian statement. Doval also called on Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng during his visit.
India and China agreed that the 26th Meeting of the Special Representatives on the China-India Boundary Question will be held in India in 2027.
