On Tuesday, India and China reached an agreement to resume direct air travel and enhance trade and investment cooperation, aiming to mend ties disrupted by their 2020 border confrontation.
India and China have agreed to restore direct flights between the two nations, ending a suspension that has persisted since the COVID-19 pandemic and the deadly border clashes of 2020. This is a significant development for bilateral ties.
The announcement was made during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's high-level visit to New Delhi, where he met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After almost five years, both parties have confirmed that an updated Air Services Agreement will soon be finalized to restore flight connectivity.
Prime Minister Modi said on X in a post.
Glad to meet Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Since my meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, India-China relations have made steady progress guided by respect for each other's interests and sensitivities. I look forward to our next meeting in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO… pic.twitter.com/FyQI6GqYKC
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 19, 2025
The decision is part of a set of steps to boost confidence, such as easing visa requirements for journalists, tourists, business travelers, and other visitors.
Additionally, the two governments decided to reopen border trade via the three designated passes of La Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, Shipki La Pass in Himachal Pradesh and Nathu La Pass in Sikkim which had been closed since relations soured.
A larger drive for people-to-people interactions is also being highlighted by plans to permit Indian pilgrims to visit Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar starting in 2026.The return of flights is seen by analysts as a sign of thawing relations following years of intense mistrust.
Since clashes in the Galwan Valley in 2020, which resulted in casualties on both sides, border tensions have been exceedingly strained.
This represents the most concrete step toward normalizing relations in years, even though troop disengagement and new patrol procedures have reduced tensions.
Given the changing dynamics between the two nations and the US, the timing also has geopolitical significance.
According to analysts, Beijing and New Delhi have been pushed to find realistic ways to work together by Donald Trump's revised tariff policies and Washington's reorientation in the Indo-Pacific.
For the first time since 2018, Prime Minister Modi is anticipated to visit China later this month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, further indicating a cautious rapprochement.
As soon as the air services framework is finalized, airlines like Air China, IndiGo, and India are expected to work out operational details. In addition to strengthening business and tourism ties, the return of direct flights will reestablish a crucial avenue of communication between the two biggest economies in Asia.
As they seek to change the course of their frequently tumultuous relationship, both governments emphasized the value of respect, balance, and mutual trust.
