Doval in Beijing: China calls for long-term view, manage differences

What Happened

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held talks in Beijing with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng ahead of the 25th round of Special Representatives meetings on the boundary issue. China urged New Delhi to view and handle the bilateral relationship from a strategic, long-term perspective and to properly manage differences. Doval and Han discussed efforts to strengthen peace and tranquillity in border areas and to further improve bilateral relations across economic, political and multilateral dimensions. Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong noted that Xi Jinping and Modi had met twice in Kazan and Tianjin over the past two years and reached consensuses guiding the relationship back toward recovery and improvement. Ahead of the SR talks, Doval described a steady return of the relationship to normalcy driven by peace and tranquillity on the border.

In a related framing, Wang Yi and Doval had interacted previously at the BRICS NSAs meeting in June, after which Wang emphasized respecting each other’s core interests and implementing shared consensuses.

Why It Matters

The discussions unfold as the two countries look to calibrate a long-running border dispute while seeking broader cooperation in multiple domains, including economic and multilateral arenas. The emphasis on a strategic, long-term outlook signals a desire to preserve stability in a relationship that has seen fluctuations but is now framed around steady engagement and mutual trust-building steps. The mention of high-level leader-level consensuses, and the potential for a Xi visit to India for BRICS in September, suggests a possible trajectory toward higher-level diplomatic normalcy.