National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval is scheduled to travel to Beijing on Tuesday to resume the Special Representatives (SR) dialogue with his Chinese counterpart, marking the first such meeting in nearly five years. This dialogue aims to address the long-standing boundary dispute between India and China. The meeting follows recent developments, including the resumption of patrolling in the Demchok and Depsang Plains after an agreement was reached between the two nations in October.
The meeting will see NSA Doval engage with China’s Special Representative, Wang Yi, who also serves as the Chinese Foreign Minister, under the SR mechanism. Confirming the development, Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong stated in a post on ‘X”, “As agreed by China and India, China’s Special Representative on the China-India boundary question, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, and India’s Special Representative and National Security Adviser Shri Ajit Doval, will hold the 23rd meeting of Special Representatives for the China-India Boundary Question in Beijing on December 18.”
As agreed by China and India, China's Special Representative on the China-India boundary question, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and India's… pic.twitter.com/jppLyyqI5U
— Xu Feihong (@China_Amb_India) December 16, 2024
As already reported by BharatShakti, the groundwork for this meeting was laid during the BRICS NSA conference in Moscow in mid-September, where Doval made it clear that India would only advance relations if it restored pre-2020 arrangements in Demchok and Depsang. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping reinforced this stance during their discussion at the BRICS Summit on October 23, instructing their Special Representatives to restart talks. Subsequent to these directives, the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs met in New Delhi on December 5.
India’s Approach and Expectations
According to informed sources, while the agenda for the SR-level meeting is yet to be disclosed, the intent is clear: both nations aim to move forward with renewed determination to overcome the tensions that have persisted since the 2020 border standoff in eastern Ladakh. The standoff, triggered by Chinese military actions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), significantly strained India-China relations.
India remains firm on its “3-D formula” for resolving the border dispute:
- Disengagement – a process already underway.
- De-escalation – relocating military formations to their original positions, far from the border.
- De-induction – the withdrawal of Chinese troops from areas such as Aksai Chin to permanent bases in Tibet and Xinjiang.
While the path ahead is challenging, India insists on adhering to past agreements, such as the 1993 Peace and Tranquillity Agreement, as the foundation for future negotiations.
Broader Agenda and Challenges
The Special Representative mechanism addresses a broad spectrum of India-China relations. India is expected to prioritize strategic issues, while China may focus on tactical discussions, with border management remaining a central theme. India is expected to express concerns about its significant trade deficit with China, highlighting its independent foreign policy and balanced approach to relations with both Beijing and the United States.
Given the shifting dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region and the broader global order, geopolitics will also feature prominently in the talks.
This round of SR-level talks—the first since 2019—is expected to assess progress made since the October agreement and outline the roadmap for future engagement. While breakthrough resolutions may not emerge immediately, the dialogue signals a renewed commitment by both nations to address their differences constructively.
Ravi Shankar
