On August 19, 2025, India and China announced a significant breakthrough in their bilateral relations, agreeing to initiate a phased technical delimitation of less contested stretches along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This decision, made during the 24th round of Special Representatives (SR) talks in New Delhi between India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, marks a pragmatic step toward resolving the long-standing border dispute that has strained ties since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. Concurrently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on August 31–September 1, 2025, signaling a broader thaw in relations. The agreement, detailed in sources like The Hindu and Hindustan Times, aims to foster peace, rebuild trust, and enhance cooperation across multiple domains.
Key Outcomes of the Agreement
The India-China border delimitation initiative and related confidence-building measures reflect a cautious but optimistic approach to normalizing ties. Key points include:
- Phased Delimitation:
- Both nations will establish an expert-level mechanism under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), led by a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) joint secretary, to begin delimitation in less contentious areas across the LAC’s eastern, middle, and western sectors.
- The process adopts an “early harvest” approach, focusing on areas with minimal disagreement to build confidence, followed by demarcation with physical markers like pillars. This mirrors a 2014 MEA framework for resolving the boundary dispute in three phases: guiding principles, framework agreement, and delimitation/demarcation.
- X posts, such as @sidhant, noted a “new consensus” on regular border management and initiating delimitation where “conditions are met,” though some, like @MCIAZayyan, claim India conceded to China’s push for delimitation in Sikkim, a historically sensitive sector.
- De-escalation and Border Management:
- Both armies will adopt a non-offensive posture along the LAC, maintaining 50,000–60,000 troops each in eastern Ladakh post-disengagement from friction points like Demchok and Depsang (completed October 21, 2024).
- New working groups will enhance border management in the eastern and middle sectors, complementing existing mechanisms in the western sector, to prevent flare-ups.
- NSA Doval emphasized an “upward trend” in ties over the past nine months, with “quiet borders” and “peace and tranquility” prevailing, a sentiment echoed by Wang Yi, who acknowledged past setbacks but highlighted new momentum.
- Confidence-Building Measures:
- Border Trade: Negotiations are underway to resume trade through Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand), Shipki La Pass (Himachal Pradesh), and Nathu La Pass (Sikkim), paused since the 2020 Galwan clash and COVID-19 pandemic. Designated markets like Gunji (India) and Pulan (China) will facilitate trade from May to November.
- Direct Flights: Technical teams are finalizing an updated Air Services Agreement to restart direct passenger flights, halted since 2020.
- Visa and Pilgrimage: India resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals on July 24, 2025, and China allowed the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Lipulekh Pass, with plans to expand it in 2026.
- Resource Cooperation: China offered support for India’s needs in rare earths, fertilizers, and tunnel-boring technology, critical for infrastructure projects like highways and railways.
- SCO Summit and Multilateral Cooperation:
- PM Modi’s acceptance of Xi’s invitation, conveyed by Wang Yi on August 19, sets the stage for a bilateral meeting at the SCO Summit in Tianjin, Modi’s first China visit since 2018.
- Both nations committed to supporting each other’s BRICS summits—India in 2026, China in 2027—strengthening multilateral ties amid global pressures like US tariffs under President Donald Trump.
- Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong noted a “new phase” in ties, with consensus on border management and cooperation, per The Tribune.
Context: A Thaw Post-Galwan
The 2020 Galwan Valley clash, which killed 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers, plunged India-China relations to a six-decade low, exacerbated by Chinese incursions in eastern Ladakh. The October 2024 Kazan BRICS Summit meeting between Modi and Xi revived dialogue, leading to disengagement at key friction points and the 23rd SR talks in Beijing (December 2024). The current agreement builds on this momentum, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasizing that “differences must not become disputes,” a view Wang Yi supported by prioritizing counter-terrorism within the SCO framework.
Geopolitical Drivers:
- US Tariffs: Trump’s 50% duty on Indian goods and global trade disruptions have pushed India and China to align against “unilateral bullying,” as Wang Yi noted.
- Regional Stability: Modi stressed that “stable, predictable, constructive ties” benefit regional and global peace, especially amid tensions like the Pahalgam terror attack (April 2025), where India raised concerns about Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
- Strategic Rivalry: India remains wary of China’s ties with Pakistan and its Brahmaputra dam project, while China views India’s Quad alignment as containment.
Implications and Challenges
The agreement marks a shift from confrontation to cooperation, but challenges persist:
- Trust Deficit: India’s military remains cautious after 2020, pushing for a “three Ds” approach—disengagement, de-escalation, de-induction—while China emphasizes stability.
- Delimitation Risks: Critics on X, like @MCIAZayyan, argue India’s agreement to delimit Sikkim may concede strategic ground, though official sources clarify it targets “less contentious areas.”
- Geopolitical Sensitivity: The SCO Summit, attended by leaders like Vladimir Putin, offers Modi diplomatic leverage but risks domestic criticism if border concessions are perceived.
Impact:
- Economic Gains: Resuming border trade and flights could boost India’s $15.9 billion trade deficit with China (2024–25 data), supporting infrastructure needs.
- Regional Stability: Peaceful LAC management strengthens the SCO’s anti-terrorism goals, vital post-Pahalgam.
- Global Influence: A united India-China front at BRICS and SCO counters Western trade pressures, enhancing the Global South’s voice.
