India and China Agree to Start Again Direct Flights and Reopen Border Trade
They also agreed to facilitate visa access for tourists, businesses, media, and other visitors in both directions," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
| In Short: + India and China have agreed to start again direct flight connectivity. + India and China also agreed to facilitate visa access. + To maintain and enhance the Indian pilgrimage. |
India and China have agreed to start again direct flight connectivity between the Chinese mainland and India at an early date, officials confirmed after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited New Delhi. “The two sides agreed to resume direct flight connectivity between the Chinese mainland and India at an early date and finalise an updated Air Services Agreement.
India and China also agreed to facilitate visa access for tourists, businesses, media, and other visitors in both directions,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
The flights suspended in the aftermath of the Doklam crisis and due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two sides have also agreed to maintain and enhance the Indian pilgrimage to Mount Kailash/Gang Rinpoche and Lake Manasarovar/Mapam Yumtso in Tibet, starting in 2026.
India and China: PM Modi met the Chinese Foreign Minister
The announcement comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at his residence in New Delhi. Earlier, several high-level talks were held with Wang Yi in New Delhi. New Delhi and Beijing have been working to stabilize and enhance their bilateral relations between the two Asian nations.
These latest statements come at the end of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s two-day visit to New Delhi, where he came for the 24th round of talks with Indian National Security (NSA) Advisor Ajit Doval to resolve the decades-old border dispute.
Earlier, after meeting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday, Wang Yi held high-level talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
