India’s Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that India and China had agreed to resume direct flights after nearly five years. This signals a thawing in relations between the two neighbours following a deadly military clash in 2020 on their disputed Himalayan Border.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that both sides will negotiate the framework for the flights at a “early” date. This follows a meeting between India’s top diplomat and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.
After the 2020 clash between the two countries, tensions grew between them. India began to make it difficult for Chinese firms to invest in India, banned hundreds popular apps, and cut off passenger routes. However, direct cargo flights between the nations continued to operate.
The relations have improved over the last four month with several high level meetings, including talks held between Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping.
On Monday, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri at Beijing that both countries should work together, explore more substantive actions and commit to mutual respect.
The Indian Foreign Ministry said that “Specific concerns were discussed in the economic and trading areas with a view of resolving these problems and promoting policy transparency and predictability on a long-term basis,” in a statement.
Direct flights would be beneficial to both economies. However, the stakes are higher in China, as the recovery of overseas travel following the COVID-19 epidemic is lagging while India’s aviation industry is booming. Reuters reports that China’s government has asked India’s aviation authorities several times in the last year to reestablish direct flights. One source said China views this as a major issue.
Their meeting was the most recent between the two Asian countries following a landmark agreement in October that sought to ease friction along the border. Reuters reported that in June, China’s government and its airlines had asked India to re-establish air links with China. However, New Delhi refused as the border dispute continued.
Two Indian government sources told Reuters in October that India was considering reopening the sky and launching a visa approval process.
India’s Foreign Ministry said that both nations have agreed to resume the dialogue for functional exchanges in a step-by-step manner and to convene an early meeting of India-China Expert level Mechanism.
Wang said that China and India must commit to “mutual cooperation and mutual success” rather than “suspicion and alienation” during their meeting.
