‘Borders have been quiet’: NSA Ajit Doval on India-China ties during talks with Chinese FM

In his televised opening remarks, Doval recalled his visit to Beijing in December for the previous round of SR talks and said: "Borders have been quiet, there has been peace and tranquillity, our bilateral engagements have been more substantial."

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: August 19, 2025 05:43 PM IST

3 min read

In this screenshot from @MEAIndia via Youtube, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (@MEAIndia on Youtube via PTI Photo)

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (@MEAIndia on Youtube via PTI Photo)

There has been an “upward trend” in India-China relations over the past nine months as peace and tranquillity prevailed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said on Tuesday during talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Doval and Wang met under the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin on August 31 and September 1, which was formally announced by Doval.

In his televised opening remarks, Doval recalled his visit to Beijing in December for the previous round of SR talks and said: “Borders have been quiet, there has been peace and tranquillity, our bilateral engagements have been more substantial.” He added that Modi’s upcoming trip gave the SR talks “a very special importance.”

The NSA also referred to Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan last October, which came days after the two sides reached a disengagement pact at the remaining friction points of Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh. “The new environment that has been created has helped us in moving ahead in the various areas that we were working on,” Doval said.

Wang said both sides should “increase mutual trust through strategic communication, expand common interest through exchanges and cooperation, and properly settle the specific issues” along the border. “We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored in the borders,” he noted.

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“Now the bilateral relationship is facing an important opportunity of improvement and growth. The Chinese side attaches great importance to the prime minister’s visit to China to attend the SCO Summit at our invitation,” Wang added.

Wang arrived in Delhi on Monday for a two-day visit, widely seen as part of efforts to rebuild ties after the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. The SR talks were expected to review the LAC situation and consider new confidence-building measures.

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Although both sides have completed disengagement from friction points, they have yet to de-escalate by pulling back around 50,000–60,000 troops each from the LAC in eastern Ladakh. The military standoff that began in May 2020 effectively ended after the October 2024 agreement, and since then both countries have sought to stabilise ties, including resuming the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and India restarting tourist visas for Chinese nationals.

(With Inputs from PTI)

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