NSA Doval to FM Wang Yi: Stable ties key to India-China understanding

New Delhi: India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held “constructive and forward-looking” talks on Monday ahead of the BRICS National Security Advisers’ meeting in New Delhi, with both sides noting progress towards “gradual normalisation” of ties.

The meeting comes as India chairs BRICS this year ahead of a leaders’ summit in September. It marks the latest high-level contact between the two Asian giants, whose relations have been slowly recovering since the deadly border clashes in 2020 in eastern Ladakh.

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According to the Indian side, the two top officials reviewed recent developments and highlighted steps towards stabilisation. “The NSA underlined that stable, predictable and constructive bilateral relations contribute to building of trust and better understanding between the two sides,” said an Indian readout.

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Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Communist Party of China’s Political Bureau and Beijing’s special representative on the India-China border, is attending the meet at the invitation of Mr Doval.

The meet is part of the broad contours of a pragmatic thaw that began accelerating after a 2024 border agreement.

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Since then, the two countries have resumed direct flights, eased some visa restrictions, restarted the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage, and taken incremental steps on trade and investment. Bilateral trade hit record levels in 2025, though India continues to grapple with a large deficit.

The meeting is seen as preparation for potential higher-level engagements, including a possible visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to India later this year for the BRICS summit.