National Security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing on 24 August for a two-day visit, ahead of the 25th round of Special Representatives' Talks on the India-China Boundary Question scheduled for 25 August. The visit, confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs, comes at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi, who serves as China's Special Representative in the talks.

Doval is also expected to call on Chinese Vice President Han Zheng during his stay. The talks are expected to centre on the boundary question and measures to sustain peace and stability along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

What the Talks Cover

The Special Representatives' mechanism was established during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a structured diplomatic channel to work toward a lasting resolution of the India-China boundary dispute. Monday's arrival marks the lead-up to the 25th iteration of these talks — a figure that itself underscores how long-running the process has become without a definitive settlement.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the discussions will focus on the boundary question and efforts to maintain peace and stability along the border — language that has characterised official communiqués from both sides for several rounds.

Congress Challenges the Government's Approach

The opposition Indian National Congress used Doval's departure as an occasion to sharply question New Delhi's strategic posture on the boundary dispute. Party spokesperson and Member of Parliament Pawan Khera argued that the Special Representatives' mechanism has drifted from its founding purpose.

Khera said, 'The Special Representative mechanism created during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure was meant for border resolution. Notice the word carefully: ‘resolution’. But over time, it has been reduced to border management — not solving the dispute, but merely managing it.'

Khera also invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement of 19 June 2020, made in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley clash, in which Modi said no one had entered Indian territory. The Congress MP argued that this statement effectively conceded the narrative to China.

He said, 'Following the Prime Minister's statement on June 19, 2020, claiming no one entered our territory, we effectively projected to China and the world that their troops had not crossed over, implying our soldiers went into their area, leading to the Galwan martyrdom.'

Khera further alleged that the government's posture in Ladakh amounted to capitulation, and drew attention to the situation in Arunachal Pradesh, saying, 'You bowed down on Ladakh, turned resolution into management; there's one more addition: the situation in Arunachal, by hoisting flag at district headquarters, they are showing China has not entered.'

BJP Defends India's Foreign Policy Record

In Mumbai, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ram Kadam pushed back against the Congress critique, citing Prime Minister Modi's extensive diplomatic outreach over the past decade.

Kadam said, 'Over the past 12 years, the Prime Minister has visited countries around the world, including several nations that no Indian Prime Minister had visited for many years. He has consistently worked towards building good relations with all countries, and maintaining such relations is important.'

He also pointed to India's economic ascent as evidence of effective foreign policy, adding, 'Today, India, which was the world's 11th-largest economy in 2014, has become the fourth-largest and will soon become the third-largest. India's image as a global leader, or ‘Vishwaguru,’ is gradually emerging.'

Context: A Dispute Decades in the Making

The India-China boundary dispute spans approximately 3,488 kilometres and has remained unresolved since the 1962 war. The 2020 Galwan Valley standoff — the deadliest clash between the two armies in decades — severely strained bilateral ties and set back years of diplomatic progress. While both sides have since disengaged at several friction points, a comprehensive settlement remains elusive.

The outcome of the 25th round of talks will be closely watched to see whether the two sides can move beyond the management-versus-resolution impasse that critics, including the Congress, say has defined recent years of engagement.