India and China to Resume Direct Flights After Four-Year Suspension

India and China have agreed to restart direct flights, suspended since 2020, alongside border trade reopening and visa easing, marking a significant step toward normalizing strained ties.

India and China have agreed to resume direct flights between the two countries and reopen border trade at three designated Himalayan passes, marking a significant step in resetting bilateral ties. The deal also includes easing visa procedures for traders and citizens, aiming to revive business and people-to-people exchanges disrupted since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The announcement came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s two-day visit to New Delhi, during which he met India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. The talks concluded the 24th round of boundary and security discussions, a dialogue that has remained tense since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.

Indian outlets such as The Economic Times and Hindustan Times reported that both sides agreed to establish new working groups under the WMCC framework to push forward early steps on boundary delimitation. These confidence-building measures include sector-specific military mechanisms designed to improve coordination and prevent future confrontations along the Himalayan frontier.

Beyond connectivity, China also pledged to support India’s industrial and infrastructure needs by supplying rare earths, fertilizers, and tunnel-boring machinery. This move, reflects a broader attempt to rebalance the heavily skewed trade relationship that has long been a source of friction between the two nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized after his meeting with Wang Yi that stable and constructive relations between India and China would contribute to peace and prosperity at both the regional and global levels. Modi is scheduled to travel to China at the end of August—his first visit in seven years—where he will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

Observers note that while these developments represent a cautious thaw, deep mistrust remains. Key disputes over the Himalayan border, coupled with broader strategic rivalries, continue to pose challenges. Yet both sides appear motivated by shifting global alignments and the pressures of international trade dynamics, particularly amid U.S. tariff policies.

For now, the reopening of flights, trade, and high-level diplomatic channels suggests a pragmatic effort to stabilize relations. Whether this fragile progress will translate into long-term trust depends on sustained dialogue, mutual concessions, and concrete steps to manage the complex border and trade disputes that have defined India–China relations for decades.

The post India and China to Resume Direct Flights After Four-Year Suspension appeared first on Khaama Press.