India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng in Beijing on Tuesday ahead of the 25th round of the Special Representatives (SR) talks on the India-China boundary dispute. During the meeting, both leaders discussed ways to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) while exploring opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation in economic, political, and multilateral forums. The discussions were held in line with the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries to improve overall ties after years of border tensions.

Later in the day, Ajit Doval is scheduled to hold formal boundary talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who serves as China’s Special Representative for the long-running border negotiations. The SR dialogue mechanism, established in 2003, remains the highest-level platform for addressing the unresolved 3,488-kilometre India-China boundary dispute. The latest round of talks is expected to focus on maintaining border stability, preventing future military confrontations, and advancing confidence-building measures between the two neighbouring countries.

The Beijing visit is being closely watched as it comes ahead of the expected visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India for the BRICS Summit scheduled next month. Diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Beijing have shown gradual improvement since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024. Officials from both sides hope the ongoing dialogue will further ease tensions, expand cooperation in key sectors, and create a more stable foundation for future India-China relations.