Dual-Track Re-engagement: The Big Takeaway from Wang Yi's Visit to India
Today’s edition is a deep dive on the India-China relationship, given Wang Yi’s visit to Delhi over the past couple of days. Wang met with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Wang and Doval also held the 24th round of Special Representatives’ dialogue on the Boundary Question.
I think this was a substantial visit, which has moved the needle forward on some issues. But there are significant issues that still need to be addressed. This is not to downplay the outcomes. Rather, it is to adopt a pragmatic view about what has actually happened and not get swayed by rhetoric. So, I am framing my summary of outcomes in three parts. Tangible achievements, areas where dialogue has moved forward, and thorny issues where differences remain based on the readouts we have.
Here’s my list:
Tangible Achievements:
Prime Minister Modi to visit Tianjin for the SCO summit. Both sides agree to support the other in hosting BRICS summits in 2026 and 2027.
Setting up of an Expert Group to explore Early Harvest in boundary delimitation in the India-China border areas; a Working Group to advance effective border management; and creating General Level Mechanisms in Eastern, and Middle Sectors. There’s a bit of a caveat here. The Chinese readout on the Expert Group establishment says that its purpose is “demarcation.” The Indian side’s readout says its mandate is “boundary delimitation.” These are two different steps in a process of boundary settlement. But from what I gather, in Chinese, the term “划界” (Huà jiè) can be used to refer to delimitation on a map or demarcation on the ground. So in this context, one could read it as delimitation. That said, Xinhua translated it as demarcation. To perhaps be clearer, the Chinese statement could have used 纸上划界 (demarcation on paper) 实地划界 (demarcation on ground).
Re-opening of border trade through the three designated trading points
Agreement on India-China High-level Mechanism on People-to-People Exchanges in India in 2026.
Next SR-level talks to be held in 2026.
Areas Where Dialogue Has (Likely) Moved Forward:
De-escalation in Eastern Ladakh is on the table, but still some way away practically. Both sides have agreed to arrive at “relevant principles and methods to promote de-escalation and management processes.”
Both sides are still working to “finalize an updated Air Services Agreement.” It’s quite something that this agreement has not happened yet. One hopes that this is done by the time Modi visits Tianjin. It’s incredible that India and China continue to have no direct flight connectivity.
In principle, there’s an agreement on “facilitation of visas to tourists, businesses, media and other visitors in both directions.” This is a positive step. There needs to be greater people-to-people connectivity between the two countries. This is in India’s interests, as I have argued earlier.
Both agreed to “continue and further expand the scale of the Indian pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash/ Gang Renpoche and Lake Manasarovar / Mapam Yun Tso in Tibet.”
Both agreed to “facilitate trade and investment flows between the two countries through concrete measures.” It’s a good sign that economic issues are on the bilateral agenda. As I had mentioned in yesterday’s newsletter, the agenda so far since Kazan had been focused on “people-centric” issues. Anyway, yesterday, there were reports in the Indian press about China easing up with India on export of rare earth magnets, tunnel boring machines and fertilizers. On the latter two, easing is fairly straightforward. Export of the tunnel boring machines was stalled after sale through delays in a clearance mechanism at the ports. Likewise fertilizer exports were stalled through halting a mandatory inspection procedure before exports. These actions are easy to reverse. On rare earth magnets, however, one should not expect a simple reversal. The licensing requirements under the export controls system are unlikely to be waived off. But approvals can be smoother. Anyway, there’s nothing that Beijing has officially said on any of these issues. So one should wait and watch. In fact, when asked yesterday, here’s what MoFA’s Mao Ning said:
Reuters: Indian media reported today that Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Indian officials that China has lifted its rare earth export controls to India. Is this accurate? Has China lifted all rare earth export controls, and has India been exempted?
Mao Ning: I’m not familiar with the media reports you mentioned. As a matter of principle, China is willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with relevant countries and regions to jointly maintain the stability of the global production and supply chain.
Thorny Issues:
Terrorism and Pakistan; do note that Wang travels from Delhi to Pakistan for the Sixth Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue
Transparency related to China’s mega dam in Tibet
Cooperation related to trans-border rivers; no clarity yet on renewal of the relevant MoUs
Policy around Taiwan. After the Chinese side claimed that Jaishankar told Wang that “Taiwan is a part of China”, the Chinese readout of the Wang-Doval meeting has Doval saying that “India has consistently adhered to the one-China policy”. India has not referred to any one-China framing since 2010, and the Indian readouts of the meetings continue to not make any such statement. In fact, the Indian view on Taiwan, as you will read below, is rather nuanced.
The positioning of the boundary issue within the context of the broader relationship. I disagree with critics of Indian policy who argue that current steps indicate that the Indian government has accepted the Chinese position that peace and tranquillity on the border must be delinked from the broader relationship. Wang’s visit indicates that the two sides are moving forward on a dual track. This is a compromise, which seems to be based on mutual self-interest. In fact, for all practical purposes, both sides will need to maintain peace and tranquillity and have some forward movement on the boundary issue to deepen the broader relationship.
With that, let me turn to the readouts. I covered the Chinese readout of Wang’s meeting with Jaishankar yesterday. Today, let me begin with the Indian readouts.
The MEA’s readout of the visit says:
“Discussions in the SR talks covered issues related to de-escalation, delimitation and boundary affairs. Discussions between the Foreign Ministers covered bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest.
The Indian side strongly raised the issue of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, recalling that one of the original objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), whose summit will be held later this month in China, was to counter the evil of terrorism. Minister Wang Yi concurred that countering terrorism should be given the highest priority.
During the discussions, External Affairs Minister also underlined India’s concerns with regard to the mega dam construction being undertaken by China in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra river), which will have implications for lower riparian states. The need for utmost transparency in this regard was strongly underlined.
The Chinese side raised the issue of Taiwan. The Indian side underlined that there was no change in its position on this issue. It pointed out that, like the rest of the world, India had a relationship with Taiwan that focuses on economic, technological and cultural ties and that this would continue. The Indian side noted that China also cooperates with Taiwan in these very domains.”
The last point is worth focussing on because of the kerfuffle that the Chinese readout caused yesterday. It had said that Jaishankar apparently told Wang that “Taiwan is a part of China.”
A separate document was issued to highlight the agreements between the two sides during this visit.
This one says: “The two sides shared the view that peace & tranquility has been maintained in the India-China border areas since the 23rd SR Talks. They reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas to promote overall development of the India-China bilateral relationship.”
The SRs agreed on the following:
The need to take a political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship while seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for settlement of the boundary question in accordance with the Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question signed in 2005.
Setting up an Expert Group, under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), to explore Early Harvest in boundary delimitation in the India-China border areas;
Setting up a Working Group, under the WMCC, to advance effective border management in order to maintain peace and tranquillity in India-China border areas
Creation of General Level Mechanisms in Eastern, and Middle Sectors, in addition to the existing General Level Mechanism in Western Sector, and holding an early meeting of the General Level Mechanism in the Western Sector.
Use the border management mechanisms at diplomatic and military levels to carry forward the process of border management, and discuss de-escalation, beginning with the principles and modalities thereof.
The highlighted points are important steps. The process of delimitation requires a mutual understanding of claims and sharing of maps. This is a significant issue, and there are no guarantees of how it will evolve under this Expert Group. But it is significant that both sides have agreed to this publicly now. For instance, here’s a relevant excerpt from former Indian NSA Shivshankar Menon’s 2016 book Choices, to put things in perspective.
“…the India-China border is very different from India’s international boundary and Line of Control with Pakistan. With Pakistan, India has for the most part an agreed-upon international boundary. For the rest, the Line of Control, delineated on a map signed by the directors general of military operations of the armies of India and Pakistan, has the force and international sanctity of a legal agreement behind it. Nevertheless, both the international border and the Line of Control with Pakistan are ‘hot’ or ‘live’, crossed by terrorists and militants, and regular cross-border firing occurs. With China, the LAC is a concept; neither the LAC nor the boundary is agreed upon by the two countries, let alone delineated on a map or demarcated on the ground. Yet this is probably India’s most peaceful border in the last thirty years, with no terrorists or cross-border firing. The last death on the border was in October 1975 at Tulungla, and that was by accident. The fundamental difference is that India faces a military situation on its borders with Pakistan that has been created by the Pakistan Army, whereas with China it faces a very different kind of political and strategic challenge. Since the LAC is the basis of the peace, and peace would remain fragile without an agreement as to where the line lay, when negotiating the agreement Indian diplomats pressed for both sides to together clarify the entire LAC. Initially the Chinese agreed to clarify it only where there were differences, but subsequently they agreed to a procedure to exchange maps of where each country thought the LAC lay. This was done for the middle sector, then for the LAC in the western sector. In retrospect, this procedure gave both sides an incentive to exaggerate their claims of where the LAC lay. Once the Chinese saw the Indian map of the western sector, they balked at continuing. They argued that fixing the LAC in this manner would make it the boundary even though both sides, for different reasons, did not accept the status quo as the basis of a settlement. The process of LAC clarification has effectively stalled since 2002. India therefore does not have an agreed-upon delineation of the LAC with China.”
In addition to this, the agreement for a Working Group to “advance effective border management” is also a positive development. There are material changes that have taken place in terms of infrastructure and technology since earlier agreements were inked. Updating processes and protocols is important for better management of the border.
In addition to this, the MEA highlighted agreements between the two foreign ministers on “practical steps on people-centric and economic engagement”
Both sides underscored that the strategic guidance of the leaders of India and China plays an irreplaceable and crucial role in the development on India-China relations. They agreed that a stable, cooperative and forward-looking relationship between India and China is in the mutual interest of the two countries to realize their development potential fully. They further agreed that both sides should earnestly implement the important common understandings reached between the two leaders and promote sustained, sound and steady development of India-China relations.
Chinese side welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit to be held in Tianjin. Indian side reaffirmed its full support to China’s SCO Presidency, and looked forward to a successful SCO Summit with fruitful outcomes.
Both sides agreed to support each other in hosting successful diplomatic events. Chinese side will support India in hosting the 2026 BRICS Summit. Indian side will support China in hosting the 2027 BRICS Summit.
Both sides agreed to explore and resume various official bilateral dialogue mechanisms and exchanges, to enhance cooperation and address each other’s concerns and properly manage differences, including holding the Third Meeting of the India-China High-level Mechanism on People-to-People Exchanges in India in 2026.
Both sides agreed to continue supporting each other in holding events in 2025 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China.
Both sides agreed to resume direct flight connectivity between Chinese mainland and India at the earliest, and finalize an updated Air Services Agreement. They also agreed on the facilitation of visas to tourists, businesses, media and other visitors in both directions.
Both sides agreed to continue and further expand the scale of the Indian pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash/ Gang Renpoche and Lake Manasarovar / Mapam Yun Tso in Tibet Autonomous Region of China starting 2026.
The two sides exchanged views on trans-border rivers cooperation and agreed to give full play to the role of India-China Expert Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers and keep communication on renewal of the relevant MoUs. The Chinese side agreed to share hydrological information during emergency situations based on humanitarian considerations.
Both sides agreed to the re-opening of border trade through the three designated trading points, namely Lipulekh Pass, Shipki La Pass and Nathu La Pass.
Both sides agreed to facilitate trade and investment flows between the two countries through concrete measures.
Both sides agreed to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas through friendly consultations.
Both sides agreed to uphold multilateralism, enhance communication major international and regional issues, maintain a rules-based multilateral trading system with WTO at its core, and promote a multipolar world, that safeguards the interest of developing countries.
Finally, the MEA’s readout of Wang’s meeting with PM Modi says:
“Mr. Wang Yi handed over message and invitation from President Xi to Prime Minister for the SCO Summit being held in Tianjin. He also shared his positive assessment of bilateral meeting with EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar and 24th Meeting of the Special Representatives, which he co-chaired with NSA Shri Ajit Doval during his visit. Prime Minister emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity on the border, and reiterated India's commitment to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question. Prime Minister welcomed the steady and positive progress in bilateral ties since his meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, guided by mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, including the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. Prime Minister thanked President Xi for the invitation to the SCO Summit and conveyed his acceptance. He expressed support for China’s Presidency of the SCO Summit and said that he looked forward to meeting President Xi in Tianjin. PM underlined that stable, predictable, and constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional and global peace and prosperity.”
Okay, now let’s turn to the Chinese readouts. In yesterday’s edition, I covered the Chinese readout of the meeting between Wang and Jaishankar. But there’s also another readout of the SR-level meeting. That says that the two men had a “candid and in-depth exchange of views on the China-India boundary issue”. They reached a 10-point consensus. I am relying on the official English version (Chinese language readout) just to avoid any confusion.
Both sides positively evaluated the progress made in implementing the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries since their meeting in Kazan, and noted that the boundary regions between China and India have remained peaceful and stable since the 23rd round of talks.
Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the boundary regions, emphasised the need to resolve relevant issues through friendly consultations to promote the overall development of China-India relations.
Both sides agreed to approach the situation from the political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship, and to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for resolving the boundary question in accordance with the political guiding principles agreed by the two countries in 2005.
Both sides agreed to establish a demarcation expert group under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on China-India Border Affairs to explore the possibility of advancing demarcation negotiations in areas where conditions are ripe.
Both sides agreed to establish a working group under the framework of the WMCC to advance effective border management and control, maintaining peace and stability in boundary areas.
In addition to the existing general-level talks in the western section of the boundary, both sides agreed to establish a general-level talks mechanism in the eastern and central sections, and to hold a new round of general-level talks in the western section as soon as possible.
Both sides agreed to utilize the border management and control mechanisms through diplomatic and military channels, first reaching consensus on relevant principles and methods to promote de-escalation and management processes.
Both sides exchanged views on cross-boundary river cooperation and agreed to use the expert-level mechanism for cross-boundary rivers to maintain communication on renewing the cross-boundary river flood reporting memorandum of understanding. The Chinese side agreed to share emergency hydrological information on relevant rivers with the Indian side based on humanitarian principles.
Both sides agreed to reopen three traditional boundary trade markets.
Both sides agreed to hold the 25th round of talks in China in 2026
The Chinese readout of the meeting between Wang and Doval says:
“As two major neighbouring countries and two major developing countries, China and India share similar concepts, have broad common interests, and ought to trust and support each other. This is the proper state that two emerging major powers should have. China attaches great importance to Prime Minister Modi’s visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Tianjin Summit and looks forward to India’s positive contribution to its success. Wang Yi emphasised that history and reality have repeatedly proven that the healthy and stable development of China-India relations is in the fundamental interests of the two peoples and is the shared aspiration of the vast majority of developing countries. The two sides should follow the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries and adhere to the mindset of advancing in parallel on two tracks, mutual promotion, and virtuous cycle in approaching and handling bilateral relations and border issues. Through dialogue and communication, they should enhance mutual trust, expand exchanges and cooperation, and jointly promote consensus, clarify directions, and set goals in border control, demarcation negotiations, and cross-border exchanges. They should properly resolve specific issues, achieve more positive progress, and continuously create favourable conditions for the improvement and development of bilateral relations.” 今年以来，双边关系进入稳步发展轨道，边境局势持续稳定向好。作为两大邻国、两大发展中国家，中印理念相通，共同利益广泛，理应相互信任、相互支持，这才是两个新兴大国的应有状态。中方高度重视莫迪总理赴华出席上海合作组织天津峰会，期待印方为峰会成功举行作出积极贡献。王毅强调，历史和现实一再证明，中印关系健康稳定发展符合两国人民根本利益，也是广大发展中国家的共同期待。双方应按照两国领导人战略指引，秉持双轨并进、相互促进、良性循环的思路看待和处理双边关系和边界问题，通过对话沟通增进互信，扩大交流合作，共同推动在边境管控、划界谈判、跨境交流等方面汇聚共识、明确方向、设定目标，妥善解决具体问题，取得更多积极进展，为两国关系改善发展不断营造有利条件。
As per the Chinese readout, Doval said:
“The Kazan meeting between the leaders of the two countries was a turning point in the improvement and development of India-China relations. It brought about positive changes in mutual understanding between the two sides, maintained peace and tranquility in the border area, and achieved breakthrough progress in bilateral relations. The current international situation is turbulent, and India and China face a series of common challenges. It is necessary to enhance understanding, deepen trust, and strengthen cooperation, as this is of vital importance to the well-being of the peoples of the two countries and world peace and development. India has consistently adhered to the one-China policy. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China. Prime Minister Modi looks forward to visiting China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Tianjin Summit and believes that this will promote new development in bilateral relations. India supports China in hosting a successful summit as the rotating chair of the SCO. India is willing to maintain communication and dialogue with China in a positive and pragmatic manner to continuously build conditions for a final resolution of the border issue.”
Finally, the Chinese readout on Wang’s meeting with Modi says that Modi expressed “his great anticipation for attending” the SCO summit. “India will fully support China's work as the rotating chair of the SCO and ensure the summit's complete success.”
“Modi said that India and China are both ancient civilisations, with a long history of friendly exchanges. In October last year, the Kazan meeting of the leaders of the two countries was a turning point in the improvement and development of bilateral relations. India and China are partners and not rivals, both face the common task of accelerating development, and should strengthen exchanges, increase understanding, expand cooperation, and let the world witness the enormous potential and bright prospects of India–China cooperation. Both sides must also prudently manage and handle border issues and prevent differences from becoming disputes. Modi said that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China. The two sides should view bilateral relations from a long-term perspective, and the arrival of the ‘Asian Century’ cannot be separated from India–China cooperation. The two sides advancing hand in hand will contribute to world development and benefit all humankind.” 莫迪表示，印中都是文明古国，友好交往历史悠久。去年10月，两国领导人喀山会晤是双边关系改善发展的转折点。印中是伙伴而不是对手，都面临加快发展的共同任务，应该加强交流，增进了解，拓展合作，让世界感受到印中合作的巨大潜力和光明前景。双方还要稳妥管控和处理边界问题，不能让分歧变成争端。莫迪说，今年是印中建交75周年。双方要从长远角度看待两国关系，“亚洲世纪”的到来离不开印中合作。双方携手并进将为世界发展作出贡献，造福全人类.
Wang reportedly told Modi that the improvement in bilateral ties is “hard-won” and “deserves to be cherished”. He added:
“China-India relations have experienced ups and downs, and the lessons learned are worth remembering. Regardless of the circumstances, both sides should uphold the correct position of being partners, not adversaries, and prudently manage differences to prevent the border dispute from derailing the overall bilateral relationship. Under the current international circumstances, the strategic significance of China-India relations has become even more prominent, and the strategic value of China-India cooperation has become even more prominent. We will earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, promote the steady and long-term development of China-India relations, better benefit the people of both countries, and make the due contribution of the two great civilizations of China and India to the cause of human progress.” 王毅表示，中印关系经历起伏，其中的经验教训值得铭记。无论面临什么样情况，双方都应坚持彼此是伙伴而不是对手的正确定位，坚持稳妥管控分歧，不让边界争议影响两国关系大局。当前国际形势下，中印关系的战略意义更加凸显，中印合作的战略价值更加突出。我们将认真落实两国领导人重要共识，加强各领域交流合作，推动中印关系行稳致远，更好造福两国人民，为人类进步事业作出中印两大文明的应有贡献.