Following Tuesday’s talks between the Special Representatives (SRs) on the boundary question, India and China have agreed to substantial outcomes on managing the disputed border. According to an eight-point consensus released on Wednesday, both countries have agreed to advance discussions on “an early and substantial harvest of boundary delimitation”. They have agreed to hold next month a meeting of an expert-level mechanism on trans-border rivers and to maintain communication on sharing hydrological data, which India has been pushing for. Two additional meeting points to hold talks between top military commanders will be set up, along with two new channels of hotlines in the Eastern and Middle Sectors. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed the efforts taken over the past two years to keep the peace along the Line of Actual Control, and committed to continuing the on-going normalisation in relations. That the NSA’s visit to Beijing took place before India hosts the BRICS Summit, on September 12, underlined both sides’ keenness to continue with this process of re-engagement, with the expected visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping after a gap of seven years. An October 2024 meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Xi kickstarted this calibrated effort towards normalcy, and a 2025 meeting in Tianjin helped continue the momentum. It is apparent that both sides see continued engagement at the highest level as key to sustaining this process of normalisation.
The dual tracks of the SR meetings and the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on border affairs, a body comprising diplomats and military officials, have worked well towards keeping the borders generally stable over the past two years. The latest outcomes will certainly help in keeping the peace. Less clear is how both sides intend to take up the task of border delimitation. Neither side has explained which parts of the border they plan to delimit, or whether they are reconsidering the 2005 agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles, under which the SRs were tasked with first agreeing a framework to settle the boundary. While both sides in Beijing reaffirmed the 2005 agreement, Article 10 of its text notes that it is only on the basis of the framework that both sides can delineate the boundary. Tangible progress on the border dispute must certainly be welcomed. However, agreements made without public visibility, notwithstanding their merit, may invite suspicion. As India and China continue negotiating their long-running boundary question, it is imperative that they bring their publics along.
Published – August 27, 2026 12:20 am IST
