NSA Ajit Doval to Visit Beijing for Border Talks Ahead of President Xi's India Trip

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is expected to visit Beijing on August 24 and 25, 2026, for the 25th round of talks between Special Representatives on the boundary question. Doval is scheduled to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi on Tuesday. The visit occurs ahead of a possible trip to India next month by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is expected to attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. This would mark President Xi's first visit to India in seven years.

The talks aim to work toward a framework for resolving the dispute over the 3,488 kilometer border. Both sides previously agreed to a political perspective on the relationship and a framework based on a 2005 agreement. Recent efforts include the creation of an Expert Group to explore early harvest agreements in boundary delimitation and the establishment of general level mechanisms in the eastern and middle sectors. Border trade recently restarted through the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim and Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand.

The diplomatic push follows a period of severe tension. A military face off in the Ladakh sector starting in April 2020 led to a freeze in relations that lasted more than four years. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi met in October 2024 in Russia to begin normalizing ties, recent reports indicate continued differences in Arunachal Pradesh. Center right framing emphasizes that the state of the border will determine the course of the overall relationship and notes a lack of forward movement on de escalation on the Line of Actual Control. Center left framing focuses on the potential for early harvest agreements in the middle and Sikkim sectors as a path toward steady normalization.