NEW DELHI: National security advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday met Chinese vice president Han Zheng in Beijing, with the two sides discussing ways to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border and further strengthen India-China relations across economic, political and multilateral platforms.The meeting came ahead of the 25th round of special representatives talks on the India-China boundary question between Doval and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi later on Tuesday.Sharing details of the meeting, the Embassy of India in China said, “On 25 August, NSA and Special Representative on the India-China Boundary Question, Ajit Doval called on Han Zheng, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China.”The embassy said Doval and Han discussed ways to strengthen peace and tranquillity in the border areas and further improve bilateral ties “across economic, political and multilateral fora”, in line with the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries.Doval arrived in Beijing on Monday for a two-day visit to participate in the Special Representatives talks with Wang Yi, who is also China’s Foreign Minister.The talks are expected to focus on the boundary question, along with bilateral, regional and international issues.The Chinese Foreign Ministry has described the Special Representatives mechanism as the “main channel” for negotiations between the two countries on the boundary question and an important platform for communication on issues of mutual interest.The mechanism was established in 2003 to address the India-China boundary dispute, which stretches across roughly 3,488 km.The 24th round of talks was held in August last year, when the two sides held what Beijing described as candid and in-depth discussions and reached several common understandings.The upcoming round assumes significance as India and China seek to stabilise ties following years of tensions along the Line of Actual Control.The discussions come amid efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to gradually improve bilateral relations after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and the prolonged military stand-off in eastern Ladakh severely strained ties.Doval and Wang had also met in June in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS National Security Advisers’ meeting. The Ministry of External Affairs had described those discussions as “constructive and forward-looking”.MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, “The two sides reviewed recent developments in bilateral relations and noted progress towards gradual normalisation. NSA underlined that stable, predictable and constructive bilateral relations contribute to building trust and better understanding between the two sides. The discussions were constructive and forward-looking.”The latest talks also come amid efforts by the two countries to build on a series of high-level engagements between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.The leaders had welcomed positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations during their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin last year, after their previous meeting in Kazan in October 2024.
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They had reaffirmed that India and China are development partners rather than rivals and that differences should not be allowed to become disputes.“A stable relationship and cooperation between India and China and their 2.8 billion peoples on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity are necessary for the growth and development of the two countries, as well as for a multipolar world and a multi-polar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century,” the MEA had said after the leaders’ meeting.Despite the gradual improvement in ties, differences over the boundary and Arunachal Pradesh remain sensitive issues between New Delhi and Beijing.Both Doval and Wang are designated Special Representatives for the boundary talks mechanism. While the process has not resolved the long-running border dispute, officials on both sides continue to regard it as an important channel for managing tensions and maintaining communication.The talks also come ahead of Xi’s expected visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12-13, which could provide an opportunity for another meeting between Xi and PM Modi and further discussions on the bilateral relationship.
