India-China Discussion and Preparation for Special Representative Talks
NEW DELHI, India—July 24, 2025: India held its 34th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) in the national capital to examine the current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and to prepare for the next round of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question. India took the meeting as an occasion for having general satisfaction with the preservation of peace and tranquility in border areas.
Recent Diplomatic and Military Engagements
The Indian delegation on behalf of the WMCC was led by Gourangalal Das, who is a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (East Asia), while the Chinese delegation was led by Hong Liang, the Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China). Hong Liang also met with Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during his strategic trip to New Delhi. These engagements fall within the framework that has generally been discussed concerning border issues and improvement in bilateral relations following the border clash of Eastern Ladakh.
Preparation for High-Level Special Representatives Talks
A major outcome of the WMCC meeting was paving the way for the next round of the Special Representatives’ Talks, which is going to be held in India later this year. The Indian side is represented by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, and the Chinese side by Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang Yi is expected to travel to India for the forthcoming round, thereby keeping up the momentum in high-level exchanges. The last SR dialogue was held in Beijing in December 2024.
Step-by-Step Approach to Peace Relationship
The WMCC meeting is just part of the steps from both sides gradually tugging at ropes to bring normalization. In particular, India announced the reopening of tourist visas to Chinese nationals starting July 24, 2025, a decision warmly welcomed, to be sure, by China and the very first time in five years; the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage was resumed in June 2025, and bilateral consultations continue for the resumption of direct flights. Such improvements show goodwill on both sides for people-to-people exchanges and to create trust between the two countries.
Backdrop to the Border Dispute
The Indian-Chinese border situation has been fraught with high tension, especially after the events in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. While a disengagement agreement was successfully finalized on October 21, 2024, with some troops of these countries taking up their return journey from friction points like Demchok and Depsang in other sectors, both sides have decided to maintain around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the region of Eastern Ladakh. In fact, these dialogue mechanisms, WMCC and SR talks, were rolled out again on account of a casual meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping of China at Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.
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Proclaim Peace and Stability
As both of them reiterated, these dialogues underscore the continual commitment of the two countries toward building mutual trust, exchanges, and contacts across established diplomatic and military channels on all border issues. Emphasis particularly remains on advancing a constructive border management system with assurances towards peace and tranquility along the LAC. Herein, although an amiable settlement regarding border issues is nowhere clear-cut, such dialogues underline the point that their devotees are always endeavoring to address anything that is wrong to happen through peaceful means.
