Indo-Pacific — 2026-06-24

India and China Hold Constructive Talks at BRICS NSA Meeting as Wang Yi Pushes to Revive Dialogue

BLUFA Modi-Xi bilateral by year-end is likely, but Beijing's push to compartmentalize border disputes signals intent to extract economic concessions while deferring the territorial concessions New Delhi conditions on trust.

NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met on June 22 on the margins of the 16th BRICS National Security Advisers' Meeting in New Delhi, with MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stating the two sides "noted progress towards the gradual normalisation of ties" and characterizing the talks as "constructive and forward-looking" 12. Jaiswal reported that Doval underlined "stable, predictable, and constructive bilateral relations contribute to building trust and a better understanding between the two sides" 1. Wang, in remarks relayed by Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong on X, called for "concrete actions" to implement leaders' consensus and urged that border differences be placed "in an appropriate position" so they do not "affect the overall situation of bilateral relations" 34. Wang additionally expressed Beijing's support for India's role as BRICS rotating chair and called for both sides to guide public opinion toward improved bilateral understanding 3.

Analysis
Beijing's "appropriate position" framing for border differences is its established formula for compartmentalizing territorial friction from economic and strategic engagement. New Delhi's insistence on behavioral consistency as a trust prerequisite rather than declaratory alignment signals conditional acceptance of that sequencing. The diplomatic convergence may reflect Beijing's tactical interest in consolidating BRICS cohesion ahead of the September summit more than structural commitment to normalization. Border framework progress remains opaque to open-source collection, and no Modi-Xi bilateral has been announced. Moderate confidence reflects coverage drawn entirely from official Indian-origin public statements with no independent corroboration of either side's private readout.

5 sources