Doval arrives in Beijing as Bihar and Dhaka press their own files
Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing for the twenty-fifth round of boundary talks, while Bihar pressed for a seat before the Ganga treaty is renewed and Dhaka kept the Mecca defence pact at the discussion stage.
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Ajit Doval lands in Beijing for the twenty-fifth round of boundary talks
India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The twenty-fifth round of the two countries' Special Representatives' talks on the boundary question takes place in Beijing on Tuesday. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the two sides would maintain in-depth communication on the border in line with the consensus reached by their leaders, and would jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas. Doval represents India in that mechanism and Wang Yi, who also sits on the Politburo, represents China. Doval is expected to call on Chinese Vice President Han Zheng during the visit. Bilateral relations and international and regional questions are on the agenda alongside the border itself. The previous round was held in August 2025; the thirty-sixth meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on border affairs met on 6 August 2026 to review conditions along the Line of Actual Control.[1]
Before the Ganga treaty is renewed, Bihar wants a seat
The India-Bangladesh treaty on sharing Ganga water, signed on 12 December 1996, comes up for renewal on 12 December 2026, and the argument over Bihar's share sharpened on Monday. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said the state government led by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary had presented its position to the centre in line with Nitish Kumar's views and asked for the state's problems to be addressed. The statement followed a meeting in Delhi on Saturday between Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Choudhary, JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar; by Vijay Kumar Choudhary's account, Jaishankar gave an assurance that the state's interests would be discussed before renewal. Sudhakar Singh, the RJD member of parliament for Buxar, asked that Bihar and the seven other states with a stake in Ganga water be invited for detailed talks, and submitted a seven-page note. Choudhary also said former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad's remarks on the Farakka barrage were confusing and not based on facts.[2]
Shama Obaed keeps the Mecca defence pact at the discussion stage
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed said Bangladesh has taken no decision on joining the Mecca joint defence agreement, while a discussion on the matter continues. The pact was signed on 7 August 2026 by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. Humayun Kabir, the prime minister's foreign affairs adviser, said Bangladesh is taking a positive position on joining a potential economic or defence framework involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey. The pact's collective-defence clause treats an armed attack against any one of the three states as an attack against them all; it was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is due to visit Saudi Arabia in October, and Bangladesh has about 204,000 active military personnel.[3]
