India-China Normalisation
India, China Officials Discuss Gradual Normalisation of Ties at BRICS Meeting in New Delhi
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Key Points
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Indian side officials at the Doval–Wang Yi talks included Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami, and Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai.
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Wang Yi had previously visited New Delhi last year and held talks with the Indian NSA at the 24th Meeting, signaling ongoing re-engagement.
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On the sidelines, Doval met Brazil’s Carlos Cozendey, Brazil's Secretary of Multilateral and Political Affairs, as part of BRICS discussions and they noted cooperation between India and Brazil under the BRICS framework.
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The BRICS NSAs meeting is framed around non-traditional security challenges and the role of new technologies in emerging security threats, with discussions to exchange views on evolving global security issues.
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Mezha.net reports that talks covered practical steps toward normalization including business mobility and cross-border cultural and educational exchanges, and that subsequent meetings to specify steps were planned.
Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi on June 22, 2026, on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS National Security Advisers' Meeting. The talks were described as "constructive and forward-looking," with both sides reviewing "progress towards gradual normalisation" of ties — the first time India's government has used that word in an official readout since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, according to Darpan Magazine.
The meeting signals how far the two countries have come since 20 Indian soldiers died in a June 2020 border clash. Bilateral trade hit a record $151.1 billion in FY2025-26, making China India's largest trading partner again, according to The Sun Herald. But analysts warn that concrete agreements — not just warm words — are still needed to lock in the gains.
From Galwan to Gradual Normalisation: Six Years of Frost
The thaw began in October 2024, when both sides struck a patrolling deal in the disputed Depsang and Demchok sectors of Eastern Ladakh — ending a four-year military standoff. PM Modi then met President Xi in Kazan, Russia, that same month. By August 2025, Modi flew to Tianjin for the SCO Summit, his first China visit in seven years. Direct flights between the two countries resumed in October 2025 after a five-year freeze, according to Taylor Daily News.
India eased visa restrictions for Chinese technicians in December 2025. In March 2026, New Delhi approved relaxed rules on Chinese investment in select industrial sectors. The two countries held their 35th round of border coordination talks in Beijing on May 28, 2026, expressing satisfaction with border calm. The June 22 Doval–Wang Yi meeting is the latest step in that sequence.
What the Two Sides Said at Hyderabad House
The Indian delegation included Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Ambassador Vikram Doraiswami, and Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, who provided the military assessment of the Line of Actual Control. Doval said that "stable, predictable, and constructive bilateral relations contribute to building trust," according to Darpan Magazine. Wang Yi called the normalization progress "hard-won" and urged both sides to "deepen political trust and manage differences responsibly."
On the sidelines, Doval also met Brazil's Carlos Cozendey, Secretary of Multilateral and Political Affairs. The two noted growing India–Brazil cooperation inside the BRICS framework, according to The Sun Herald. India chairs BRICS this year and is using the platform to drive bilateral consultations beyond the main agenda. A follow-up meeting to nail down concrete steps is already planned, though no date has been set.
Trade Boom, Massive Deficit, and the Tech Dependency Problem
The economic stakes are huge. India's trade deficit with China hit a record $112.16 billion in FY2025-26, with imports growing 16% year-on-year, according to Macon.com. Around 66% of those imports come from just four sectors: electronics, machinery, computers, and organic chemicals. That dependency is why business lobbies have pushed hard for the diplomatic thaw — India's manufacturing ambitions are stuck without Chinese components.
The BRICS NSAs' meeting itself focused on non-traditional security threats and new technologies. Discussions reportedly covered business mobility and cross-border cultural and educational exchanges as practical steps toward normalisation, according to Taylor Daily News. Analysts warn, though, that easing Chinese investment rules — specifically India's "Press Note 3" security-clearance requirement — could deepen industrial vulnerability rather than fix it.
Skeptics Ask: How Far Does 'Normalisation' Actually Go?
Not everyone is convinced the optimism is warranted. Analysts note that the border remains heavily militarized. The massive troop build-up that both sides carried out after 2020 has not been rolled back, even after the patrolling deal. "Normal is still a distant goal," observers at The Wire have argued. A concrete framework agreement is expected by the September 2026 BRICS Summit to permanently manage patrol zones, but that deadline is still months away.
India is also threading a needle geopolitically. The US Trade Representative visited New Delhi the same week as the Doval–Wang Yi talks, according to The Sun Herald. India holds a "Major Defense Partnership" with Washington while deepening BRICS ties with Beijing. That balancing act — leaning toward the US on defence while keeping China close on trade — defines India's approach heading into the second half of 2026.
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