‘Structural differences have not disappeared’: Chinese strategic affairs scholar on India-China ties
The 25th round of Special Representative (SR) talks on the India-China boundary question was held in Beijing, led by India's National Security Advisor and China's Foreign Minister
A Chinese strategic affairs scholar assessed that "structural differences" in the relationship — the unresolved boundary, heavy troop deployments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a lopsided trade balance, and China's close ties with Pakistan — persist despite recent stabilisation efforts
The talks are being read against the backdrop of India's planned hosting of the BRICS Summit in September 2026, with China's President expected to attend in person for the first time in seven years
The assessment frames the current phase of ties as focused on institutionalising stability and risk management through procedural and communication mechanisms, rather than a comprehensive boundary settlement
Special Representative (SR) Mechanism on the India-China Boundary Question
The SR mechanism was constituted in 2003, formalised during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to China, to explore the boundary question "from the political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship" rather than through technical or bureaucratic negotiation alone. India's Special Representative is the National Security Advisor; China's is the Foreign Minister (concurrently Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission).
Key Details
- 24th round of talks was held in New Delhi on August 19, 2025, producing a 10-point consensus that included setting up an Expert Group under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) to explore "Early Harvest" boundary delimitation in mutually agreed sectors, and creating General-Level military mechanisms in the Eastern and Middle Sectors (in addition to the existing one in the Western Sector)
- 25th round was held in Beijing in August 2026, continuing the sequence
- The SR talks are distinct from the WMCC, a lower-level diplomatic-military body established in January 2012 (agreed at the 15th round of SR talks) that handles routine border-area consultation and de-escalation, not the political framework of a settlement
The scholar's framing — "institutionalising stability" rather than "dramatic settlement" — reflects the SR mechanism's original design as a slow, political-track process, now supplemented by newer, more technical sub-mechanisms (Expert Group, General-Level talks) to reduce the risk of border incidents.
Line of Actual Control (LAC) — Distinguished from LoC and International Border
The LAC is the de facto, undemarcated line separating Indian and Chinese-held territory, distinct from the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and a mutually recognised, demarcated International Border (IB). Unlike the LoC (which traces to the 1949 Karachi Agreement ceasefire line and was formalised in the Shimla Agreement, 1972), the LAC has never been jointly delineated or demarcated on the ground, which is why "differing perceptions" of its alignment recur in India-China friction points.
Key Details
- India and China signed agreements in 1993 and 1996 committing to maintain "peace and tranquillity" along the LAC pending a final settlement
- The Galwan Valley clash of June 15-16, 2020, in eastern Ladakh — the deadliest India-China border confrontation in over four decades — killed 20 Indian soldiers; China acknowledged in February 2021 that it had lost four soldiers
- Disengagement processes at multiple friction points followed the 2020 stand-off, but troop and infrastructure build-ups along the LAC have continued in the years since
The scholar's reference to "heavy military deployments along the LAC" as an unresolved structural issue reflects the continuing troop presence built up since the 2020 Galwan clash, even as diplomatic-level disengagement talks proceed.
BRICS Grouping and Its 2026 Expansion
BRICS began as "BRIC" (Brazil, Russia, India, China), a term coined by economist Jim O'Neill in 2001, with the first formal summit held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009; South Africa joined in 2010, forming "BRICS." The grouping expanded further in 2024, admitting Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, followed by Indonesia (January 2025) and Saudi Arabia (July 2025), taking full membership to 11 countries.
Key Details
- India is scheduled to host the BRICS Summit in New Delhi in September 2026
- China's President is expected to attend in person, which would be his first visit to India in about seven years, since the 2019 informal summit at Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu — before the 2020 Galwan clash disrupted high-level engagement
- BRICS also added ten "Partner Country" status states in 2025 (including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Thailand, Vietnam, among others), a tier below full membership
The article frames the SR talks as partly aimed at preventing fresh LAC incidents ahead of the BRICS Summit, since a stable border situation is seen as a precondition for smooth leader-level engagement between the two countries at the summit.
India-China Trade Imbalance
Despite record bilateral trade volume, India runs one of its largest bilateral trade deficits with China, driven by heavy Indian import dependence on Chinese intermediate goods, electronics, and active pharmaceutical ingredients, against comparatively small Indian exports to China.
Key Details
- Bilateral trade crossed roughly $155 billion in 2025 (calendar year), with India's trade deficit widening to approximately $99-116 billion depending on the data source used [Unverified — precise figure varies by Indian vs Chinese customs data]
- India's exports to China (around $14 billion) remain a small fraction of imports from China (over $110 billion)
- The trade deficit has grown steadily from around $65 billion in 2021
The "lopsided trade pattern" cited among persisting structural differences refers to this asymmetry, which India has sought to address through non-tariff measures on Chinese investment and supply-chain diversification, even as bilateral trade volumes hit record highs.
- SR mechanism on the India-China boundary question established: 2003 (Vajpayee's China visit)
- 24th round of SR talks: New Delhi, August 19, 2025 (10-point consensus, Expert Group under WMCC)
- 25th round of SR talks: Beijing, August 2026
- WMCC established: January 2012, agreed at the 15th SR round
- Galwan Valley clash: June 15-16, 2020; 20 Indian and 4 Chinese soldiers killed (China's 2021 admission)
- BRICS full membership as of 2026: 11 countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia)
- BRICS Summit 2026: hosted by India, New Delhi, September 2026
- India-China bilateral trade (2025): approximately $155 billion; India's trade deficit approximately $99-116 billion [Unverified — source-dependent figure]