NSA Ajit Doval, Wang Yi discuss ties; imperative to respect each other’s core interests, says China foreign minister

3 min readNew DelhiJun 23, 2026 10:19 PM IST

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval welcomes Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi at the 16th BRICS National Security Advisers' Meeting, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)

During his bilateral meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs meet in New Delhi, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that it is “imperative” for India and China to respect each other’s “core interests” and take concrete actions to implement the “important consensus” reached by both sides.

Doval “underlined that stable, predictable and constructive bilateral relations contribute to building of trust and better understanding between the two sides,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said about the meeting held on Monday, adding that the discussions were “constructive and forward-looking”.

Wang Yi emphasised that “both sides should take concrete actions to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, promote their respective development and revitalisation through cooperation, and accelerate the modernisation process of the Global South,” as per a statement put out by Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong.

“It is imperative to respect each other’s core interests, properly handle sensitive issues, and place the China-India border issue in an appropriate position, so that it doesn’t affect the overall situation of bilateral relations,” said Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the ruling Communist Party of China and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs.

The Indian delegation included Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Indian ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami, and Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor.

As two economies with the largest populations in the world, China and India should not only view bilateral relations from a long-term perspective, but also promote cooperation between the two countries from a global perspective, Wang Yi said. He noted that it is imperative to properly handle sensitive issues, and place the China-India border issue in an appropriate position, so that it doesn’t affect the overall situation of bilateral relations.

Wang Yi and Doval discussed the bilateral relations and progress of the normalisation process during the meeting held amid a cautious thaw in relations between the two neighbours following the tensions triggered by the 2020 military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Since late 2024, both sides have taken steps to ease tensions.

Story continues below this ad

Both Wang Yi and Doval are the Special Representatives of the India-China border issue. The last SR talks between the two was held in New Delhi in August 2025, while the next round is slated to be held in China.

On Monday, Doval also met Iran’s Deputy Secretary for Defence Affairs at the Supreme National Security Council, Ghadir Nezamipour. It is the first visit to India by a senior official from Iran after it struck a peace agreement with the US. Last month, amid the ceasefire and the talks between US and Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi visited India for the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting.

“Both sides reviewed the ongoing situation in West Asia. They discussed various aspects of the developments that are happening there. They also discussed cooperation on the BRICS platform as also various aspects of India-Iran bilateral ties,” Jaiswal said on Tuesday about the meeting.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More