Ahead of PM Modi’s China trip, Ajit Doval to meet Chinese FM Wang Yi in Delhi on Aug 18

The August 18 meeting marks Doval’s second meeting with Wang in two months, following their interaction during the SCO NSA meet in China early this June.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi on August 18 for talks under the Special Representatives mechanism.

The meeting will likely focus on boundary issues, bilateral relations, and broader geopolitical developments, it has been learnt from an Economic Times report.

Notably, Doval's talks with Wang come nearly a fortnight ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, slated to be held from August 31 to September 1.

The August 18 meeting marks Doval’s second meeting with Wang in two months, following their interaction during the SCO NSA meet in China early this June.

Also to be noted, Wang’s visit comes amid a downturn in India-U.S. relations following Washington’s imposition of steep tariffs on Indian exports, as well as Beijing’s ongoing trade tensions with the Trump administration.

Beijing, on Friday, confirmed PM Modi’s attendance at the Tianjin summit. This would be his first visit to China since the border clashes of 2020.

“China welcomes Prime Minister Modi to China for the SCO Tianjin Summit. We believe that with the concerted effort of all parties, the Tianjin summit will be a gathering of solidarity, friendship and fruitful results,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

Guo described the meeting as the largest in the SCO’s history and said it would mark a “new stage of high-quality development” featuring “greater solidarity, coordination, dynamism and productivity.”

Founded in 2001, the SCO brings together China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to address regional security, counter-terrorism, and economic cooperation.

The Tianjin summit is anticipated to review regional stability and explore avenues for closer economic integration.

PM Modi’s visit comes at a time when New Delhi aims to cement Asian partnerships amid trade frictions with Washington.