China and India Hold 25th Special Representatives Meeting, Agree to Continue Boundary Talks and Strengthen Bilateral Relations
China and India held the 25th meeting of the Special Representatives on the China-India Boundary Question in Beijing on August 25, 2026, with both sides holding detailed discussions on the long-standing border issue and the broader development of bilateral relations.
The meeting was attended by Wang Yi, China’s Special Representative, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, and Ajit Doval, India’s Special Representative and National Security Advisor.
According to the Chinese side, the two officials held comprehensive, in-depth, friendly and candid discussions on the boundary question, bilateral relations, and international and regional issues of common concern.
Wang Yi: China-India Relations Have Global and Strategic Significance
Wang Yi said China and India are important neighboring countries and representatives of major developing countries and emerging economies. He argued that the healthy and stable development of China-India relations is in the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples.
According to Wang, stronger China-India relations also reflect the common aspirations of countries in the Global South and correspond with broader international trends.
He said China-India relations have moved beyond their bilateral scope and now have global and strategic significance.
Wang also referred to recent meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kazan and Tianjin, saying the leaders reached a series of important understandings that have provided direction for improving and developing bilateral relations.
China, Wang said, is willing to work with India from a strategic and long-term perspective to strengthen communication, increase mutual understanding, address differences and overcome obstacles.
He said both countries should seek to remain good-neighborly and friendly partners while pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation and what he described as the harmonious coexistence of the “dragon and the elephant.”
China Says Border Situation Should Remain Stable
Wang Yi said both sides are implementing the understandings reached during the previous Special Representatives’ meeting in an orderly manner.
Institutionalized exchanges and cooperation between China and India are gradually resuming, while both sides are working to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.
Wang said the two countries should learn from historical experience and place the boundary issue in its proper position within the overall China-India relationship.
He called for the two sides to move forward without stagnation, regression or deviation and gradually establish a positive approach toward China-India border affairs.
According to Wang, dialogue, peace, consultation and cooperation should remain the mainstream of relations and contribute positively to the stable development of bilateral ties.
Doval: India and China Are Partners, Not Competitors
Ajit Doval said India and China are both ancient civilizations, populous countries and important economies.
He emphasized that India and China are partners rather than competitors and said developing a stable, predictable and forward-looking relationship is in the common interest of both peoples.
Doval also said a stronger India-China relationship is important not only for the two countries but also for Asia and the wider world.
According to Doval, under the guidance of the leaders of both countries, India-China relations have returned to the right track. He noted that the border areas have maintained overall peace while exchanges and cooperation in different areas have continued to progress.
India, Doval said, is prepared to further strengthen strategic communication with China, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and deepen collaboration through multilateral platforms.
He also called for effective management of border areas, continued efforts to explore solutions to the boundary question and faster improvement in India-China relations.
Focus on Border Demarcation and Border Management
During the meeting, the two sides held detailed discussions on advancing negotiations concerning border demarcation.
They also discussed strengthening border management and control, improving existing mechanisms and promoting cross-border cooperation.
Both China and India reaffirmed their commitment to the political guiding principles reached in 2005 for resolving the boundary question.
The two sides agreed to continue working in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding and to make use of the Special Representatives’ mechanism to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable comprehensive solution to the boundary issue.
China and India also reiterated that the border question should continue to be handled through dialogue and consultation.
Both sides agreed that maintaining peace and tranquility along the border remains an important priority while efforts toward a broader settlement continue.
26th Special Representatives Meeting to Be Held in India in 2027
A key outcome of the meeting was an agreement to hold the 26th meeting of the Special Representatives on the China-India Boundary Question in India in 2027.
The decision provides a further framework for continued diplomatic engagement on the boundary issue.
The Special Representatives’ mechanism remains one of the main channels through which Beijing and New Delhi address the complex boundary dispute while attempting to prevent differences from affecting the broader relationship.
International and Regional Issues Also Discussed
Apart from the boundary question and bilateral relations, Wang Yi and Ajit Doval also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.
The discussions come as China and India seek to stabilize relations, expand communication and manage differences while maintaining their respective positions on the unresolved boundary dispute.
The 25th meeting therefore focused not only on border negotiations but also on creating conditions for broader engagement between the two major Asian powers.
Both sides' statements emphasized dialogue, consultation, cooperation and the importance of maintaining peace along the border.
The agreement to continue the Special Representatives’ mechanism and hold the next meeting in India in 2027 signals that both countries intend to keep diplomatic channels open as they work toward managing the boundary dispute and improving bilateral relations.
