Doval heads to Beijing as India and China test a thaw before possible Xi visit
India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is due in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday for a fresh round of boundary talks with China, with both
India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is due in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday for a fresh round of boundary talks with China, with both sides also watching the prospect of a rare visit by President Xi Jinping to India next month.
The trip comes at a delicate moment. It is being closely read in New Delhi and Beijing as part of the effort to keep a slow reset on track after years of strain.
Boundary talks, broader reset
Doval will hold the 25th round of Special Representatives talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a meeting format built around the long-running border dispute. The two are also expected to review the wider state of bilateral ties. That matters. A lot.
The timing stands out because India will host the BRICS Summit on September 12, just a few weeks after Doval’s visit. The schedule suggests both capitals are preparing for Xi’s first trip to India in seven years. If it happens, the visit would likely include a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Why the calendar matters
Diplomats have been watching the calendar closely since Modi and Xi met in October 2024 on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. That encounter helped open the door to what both sides now describe as a gradual and steady normalisation of ties.
The political symbolism is hard to miss. A top-level boundary meeting in Beijing, a BRICS summit in India, and talk of a possible Xi visit all point to a cautious thaw after a long freeze. For now, the next move belongs in Beijing.
The last known contact between Modi and Xi was in Kazan, and the two sides are now trying to turn that brief opening into something more durable. The talks this week will show whether that momentum still has room to grow.
