NEW DELHI: In a significant diplomatic engagement on the sidelines of the BRICS National Security Advisers’ meeting in New Delhi, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday. The talks, described by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as “constructive and forward-looking”, mark another step in efforts to recalibrate bilateral ties between the two Asian neighbours.
Sharing details of the meeting in a post on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the two sides reviewed recent developments in bilateral relations and noted progress towards gradual normalisation.
“NSA underlined that stable, predictable and constructive bilateral relations contribute to building trust and better understanding between the two sides. The discussions were constructive and forward-looking,” Jaiswal said.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami and Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai were among the Indian officials present during the meeting.
The dialogue comes at a crucial juncture as India, the current chair of BRICS, hosts the two-day high-level security meeting in the national capital. The engagement signals a continued commitment by New Delhi and Beijing to stabilise relations after years of diplomatic and military tensions.
India-China ties came under severe strain following the 2020 border clash, which triggered a prolonged period of friction along the Line of Actual Control. However, the diplomatic landscape began to shift in 2024 as both countries moved towards de-escalation and renewed engagement.
The meeting between Doval and Wang Yi reflects this evolving approach, with both sides increasingly focusing on structured dialogue and confidence-building measures.
Wang Yi had also visited New Delhi last year and held talks with Doval during the 24th Meeting of the Special Representatives in August.
According to the MEA, both sides had then agreed that peace and tranquillity had been maintained in the border areas since the 23rd round of Special Representatives’ talks. They reiterated that maintaining stability along the border remains essential for the broader development of bilateral relations.
The latest engagement comes amid a broader thaw in ties following meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of major international summits, including the SCO Summit in Tianjin last year.
During those interactions, both leaders welcomed the positive momentum in bilateral relations since their previous meeting in Kazan in October 2024. They reaffirmed that India and China are development partners rather than rivals and agreed that differences between the two countries should not be allowed to become disputes.
“A stable relationship and cooperation between India and China and their 2.8 billion peoples on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity are necessary for the growth and development of the two countries, as well as for a multipolar world and a multipolar Asia befitting the trends of the 21st century,” the MEA had said following the Modi-Xi meeting.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
