On August 18, 2025, New Delhi became the stage for a pivotal meeting between India and China’s top diplomats, signaling a cautious but notable thaw in relations after five tense years marked by border clashes and diplomatic freeze. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in the Indian capital for a two-day visit, where he was welcomed by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The agenda was packed: border peace, economic cooperation, and the future of Asia’s two largest nations hung in the balance.
The shadow of the 2020 border clash in the western Himalayas loomed large over the proceedings. That deadly confrontation, the worst in decades, left 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers dead, according to reports from AP and Reuters. The violence effectively froze high-level political engagements and led to tens of thousands of troops being deployed along the disputed frontier, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“Having seen a difficult period in our relationship, our two nations now seek to move ahead. This requires a candid and constructive approach from both sides,” Jaishankar stated in his opening remarks, as reported by Reuters and The Hindu. He stressed that the basis for any positive momentum in India-China ties was the ability to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. “It is also essential that the de-escalation process move forward,” he added, emphasizing the need to pull back troops amassed since the 2020 clash.
Wang Yi, for his part, sought to highlight recent progress. “There has been peace and tranquility along the borders and China has allowed Indian pilgrims to visit some key places in the Tibet autonomous region,” he said, as cited by AP and The Hindu. In June 2025, the two countries resumed the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a significant pilgrimage for Indian devotees, and India restarted issuing tourist visas for Chinese citizens—a small but symbolic step toward normalcy.
Yet, the road to reconciliation remains bumpy. While some troops have been withdrawn from certain border areas following a 2024 agreement, full demobilization and dismantling of military infrastructure to restore the pre-2020 status quo have not been completed, even ten months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to normalize ties at their October 2024 meeting in Kazan, The Hindu notes.
The current round of talks—formally the 24th round of Special Representatives (SRs) discussions—was scheduled to continue on August 19, when Wang Yi was set to meet India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The focus: resolution of the boundary dispute, troop reduction, and mechanisms to prevent future flare-ups. The stakes are high, as both sides prepare for Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, 2025. This will be Modi’s first trip to China in seven years, underscoring the significance of the diplomatic effort underway.
Jaishankar also broadened the conversation beyond the immediate border issue. “The fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is another major priority. I look forward to our exchange of views. Overall, it is our expectation that our discussions would contribute to building a stable, cooperative, and forward-looking relationship between India and China, one that serves both our interests and addresses our concerns,” he remarked, according to The Times of India.
Other topics on the table included economic and trade issues, river data sharing, border trade, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges. The two countries are discussing resuming the sharing of river water data, a practice suspended during the pandemic, and restarting direct flights between India and China, which have been on hold since 2020. As Jaishankar put it, “We had productive conversations on our economic and trade issues, pilgrimages, people-to-people contacts, river data sharing, border trade, connectivity and bilateral exchanges.”
Wang Yi’s visit also comes at a time of broader geopolitical shifts. Tensions between New Delhi and Washington have flared after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, including a penalty for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil. The tariffs, which take effect on August 27, add another layer of complexity to India’s foreign relations, possibly nudging New Delhi and Beijing to find common ground in an increasingly multipolar world.
Both sides appear keen to manage their differences and avoid letting disputes spiral out of control. Jaishankar made it clear: “Differences must not become disputes.” Wang Yi echoed this sentiment, expressing Beijing’s confidence in “dispelling interference, expanding cooperation, and consolidating the momentum of improving bilateral ties to contribute to each other’s development and provide certainty to Asia and the world,” as reported by The Times of India.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning reinforced Beijing’s intent to implement the understandings reached between the two leaders, maintain high-level exchanges, deepen political trust, and properly manage differences. She described the SR-level dialogue as a crucial channel for advancing boundary negotiations, noting that the previous round in Beijing produced agreements on delimitation, border management, and cross-border cooperation.
Despite the positive rhetoric, the challenges of demobilization and restoring the status quo remain. Ten months after the Kazan meeting, both sides have yet to fully pull back troops or dismantle infrastructure along the LAC. Still, the resumption of pilgrimages, talks on direct flights, and the willingness to engage in candid dialogue signal a mutual recognition that neither side can afford prolonged estrangement.
Looking ahead, Wang Yi’s meeting with Prime Minister Modi and National Security Adviser Doval could set the tone for the next phase of India-China relations. Both countries, as Jaishankar highlighted, are committed to seeking “a fair, balanced, and multipolar world order, including a multipolar Asia.” Reforming multilateralism and maintaining stability in the global economy remain shared goals, especially as Asia’s giants navigate a landscape fraught with both opportunity and risk.
As the world watches, the outcome of these talks will shape not just the fate of the border, but the broader trajectory of one of the world’s most consequential bilateral relationships. The cautious optimism in New Delhi this week suggests that, while old wounds may take time to heal, the door to dialogue remains very much open.
