Wang Yi and Ajit Doval Meet as India-China Ties Continue Gradual Thaw
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi on June 22 for high-level bilateral talks on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS National Security Advisers’ Meeting, with both sides acknowledging progress toward the gradual normalisation of relations after years of tension. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the discussions as “constructive and forward-looking,” while Doval underlined that “stable, predictable and constructive bilateral relations contribute to building trust and better understanding between the two sides.”
Context: From Border Crisis to Cautious Rapprochement
The meeting marked the latest step in a steady thaw that began more than 18 months ago when India and China reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements in eastern Ladakh in October 2024, ending the last major point of military friction from the four-year border standoff that began with the deadly Galwan Valley clash in June 2020. That breakthrough paved the way for the first bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in five years, held in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024, where both leaders agreed to revive dormant dialogue mechanisms.
Since then, according to Xinhua News, engagement has expanded steadily. Modi visited Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in August 2025 — his first trip to China in seven years — and the Special Representatives mechanism, through which Doval and Wang discuss the boundary question, has resumed regular meetings. Confidence-building measures including the resumption of direct flights, easing of visa restrictions, and revival of the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra have followed.
Key Developments: Partners, Not Competitors
During the meeting, Wang Yi reaffirmed that China and India are partners, not competitors — a formulation that has become the cornerstone of the current rapprochement since it was first articulated at the Kazan summit. As CGTN reported, Wang said this represents “the most important strategic consensus between the two sides, providing an important impetus and strategic guarantee for the healthy and stable development of China-India relations.”
Wang urged both sides to “respect each other’s core interests, properly handle sensitive issues, and place the China-India border issue in an appropriate position, so that it doesn’t affect the overall situation of bilateral relations,” according to Xinhua. He called for accelerating the restoration of dialogue mechanisms and promoting exchanges in trade, finance, law enforcement, and media.
Doval, for his part, said India is willing to view its relations with China from a strategic perspective and work with China to implement the consensus of both countries’ leaders, according to the Chinese readout. He also reiterated India’s long-standing position on the Taiwan question, stating that India was one of the first countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China and that its position remains unchanged.
The BRICS Framework and Global South Dynamics
The meeting took place as India, the current chair of BRICS, hosted the two-day meeting of national security advisers from the grouping. According to The Hindu, the BRICS NSA agenda focused on non-traditional security challenges including counterterrorism cooperation, misuse of emerging technologies, and cyber and information security risks.
Both Wang and Doval emphasized the collective rise of the Global South and the role of BRICS in promoting multipolarity. Wang said that BRICS, as the “first phalanx” of the Global South, should actively promote multipolarity and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries. China supports India in fulfilling its role as BRICS chair and in promoting the development of the BRICS mechanism, he added.
Analysis: Measured Progress Amid Persistent Challenges
The carefully calibrated language from both sides reflects the reality of a relationship that has improved significantly from its 2020 low point but remains fraught with underlying tensions. As The Wire noted, the MEA’s description of “progress towards gradual normalisation” is positive enough to signal continued engagement but stops short of suggesting all differences have been resolved.
The border dispute remains the most significant unresolved issue. While the October 2024 patrolling agreement ended the immediate military standoff, sensitive areas such as Depsang and Demchok along the Line of Actual Control remain points of contention. The expert group established under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) to explore an “early harvest” in boundary delimitation has yet to produce concrete results.
Deep strategic mistrust also persists. India continues to balance its engagement with China within BRICS and other multilateral platforms against its security partnerships through the Quad and with Western countries. The trade imbalance — with China maintaining a significant surplus — remains a concern for New Delhi.
What to Watch For
The next major milestone in the relationship will be the BRICS summit expected in September 2026, which India will host as chair. Whether that summit includes a bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi will be closely watched as a barometer of the relationship’s trajectory. In the meantime, the regular meetings of the Special Representatives mechanism and the WMCC will continue to provide channels for managing differences and building trust incrementally.
As Wang Yi noted, the recovery of China-India relations has been “hard-won” and “deserves to be cherished.” The question now is whether both sides can translate rhetorical commitments into sustained progress on the ground.