According to a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Doval, who is India’s Special Representative (SR) for the India-China Boundary Question, arrived in Beijing earlier on Monday.

The MEA said Doval will also call on Chinese Vice President Han Zheng during his visit.

“NSA Doval and Foreign Minister Wang, who is China’s Special Representative, will hold the 25th round of the Special Representatives’ Talks on the India-China Boundary Question on 25 August. NSA will also call on China’s Vice President Han Zheng during his visit,” the release said.

Doval, Wang held talks in June

The upcoming meeting between Doval and Wang comes shortly after the two leaders met in June on the sidelines of the BRICS National Security Advisers’ meeting in New Delhi.

The Ministry of External Affairs described those discussions as “constructive and forward-looking”, with the talks marking another step in efforts to recalibrate relations between India and China.

Sharing details of the meeting in a post on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the two sides reviewed recent developments in bilateral relations and noted progress towards gradual normalisation.

Jaiswal said Doval emphasised that stable, predictable and constructive relations between India and China would help build greater trust and understanding between the two sides. He added that the discussions were “constructive and forward-looking”.

Border affairs to influence broader bilateral ties

The latest round of talks comes amid continued focus on the India-China boundary issue, with the MEA reiterating that the state of affairs along the border will have a bearing on the broader relationship between the two countries.

India’s position comes amid a fresh row over China’s move to rename several locations in Arunachal Pradesh. New Delhi has consistently rejected such attempts, maintaining that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India and that assigning invented names to places in the state does not alter the reality.

The MEA has also stressed that the broader trajectory of India-China relations will be influenced by developments concerning the border. The issue therefore remains an important factor as both sides work towards gradual normalisation of ties.

India-China ties show signs of thaw

Doval’s visit comes amid efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to improve bilateral ties following subsequent meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of key international summits.

At the SCO Summit in Tianjin last year, the two leaders welcomed the positive momentum and steady progress in bilateral relations since their previous meeting in Kazan in October 2024.

During their discussions, Modi and Xi reaffirmed that India and China are development partners rather than rivals, and stressed that differences between the two countries should not develop into disputes.

Focus on stable And constructive relations

Following the meeting, the MEA said stable relations and cooperation between India and China, based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, were important for the growth and development of both countries, as well as for a multipolar world and a multipolar Asia suited to the trends of the 21st century.

Against this backdrop, the 25th round of Special Representatives’ Talks is expected to provide another opportunity for the two sides to discuss the boundary question and broader bilateral relations. The discussions come at a time when New Delhi and Beijing are seeking to build on recent diplomatic engagement while keeping the border issue central to the relationship.