Ajit Doval Lands in Beijing
Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing on August 24 for a two day visit focused on the disputed Himalayan border between India and China. His talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi come ahead of India's BRICS summit in September, where New Delhi hopes Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend.
In a Nutshell:
- Doval and Wang Yi are scheduled to hold the 25th round of Special Representatives talks on the boundary question, with Doval also expected to meet Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.
- The talks come as India and China try to keep their broader relationship moving despite the unresolved border dispute and renewed tensions around Arunachal Pradesh.
- India recently assigned official names to 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, which China rejected while repeating its claim over the state.
- The visit takes place weeks before India's September 12 and 13 BRICS summit, where New Delhi hopes Xi Jinping will attend.
Context
India and China have been trying to stabilise relations after the 2020 border crisis, while keeping the territorial dispute over the Himalayan border from blocking wider engagement. Arunachal Pradesh remains one of the most sensitive points, with Beijing claiming the Indian state as South Tibet and rejecting India's recent naming of 27 locations. Indian authorities such as Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu have maintained that there were no Chinese incursions along the border despite reports of troops near Pukar La and Ollo in Upper Subansiri district. At the August 6 WMCC meeting, both sides nevertheless agreed to keep using diplomatic and military channels to avoid misunderstandings along the LAC.
Why it matters
India and China are both major BRICS members, with the former chairing the grouping this year. This alone gives New Delhi a strong reason to keep its relationship with Beijing functional despite the tensions over the Himalayan border. China also remains important to India's regional and economic calculations, so keeping communication open on the border helps prevent that dispute from spilling into other areas of the relationship. The timing is also notable here. With the BRICS summit coming up in early September, India is perhaps trying to assess with the visit if they can realistically expect Chinese president Xi Jinping’s presence at the summit.
What we think
When the Arunachal issue resurfaced on August 12, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LAC was of “utmost importance” and that the border situation would affect wider bilateral ties. Now, India is sending its National Security Adviser to China to discuss that same Himalayan border dispute while hoping Xi Jinping will attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi next month. It seems New Delhi is trying to balance both sides by ensuring border tensions at home do not get out of hand while also keeping China engaged ahead of Xi's possible visit to India.