India, China ready to continue direct flights
(MENAFN) India and China are preparing to resume direct passenger flights as early as next month, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the negotiations. Indian carriers such as Air India and IndiGo have been asked to be ready to begin operations on short notice, with an official announcement expected during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China on August 31.
Direct flights between major cities were previously suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The move is viewed as a sign of improving relations between the two Asian neighbors, whose ties were strained following a deadly clash in the Himalayas in 2020.
Efforts to normalize relations began in October 2024, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on disengagement in contested areas and pledged to restore diplomatic and economic ties. Subsequent military and diplomatic talks have helped ease trade and investment restrictions, while Beijing has repeatedly requested the resumption of flights.
Recent steps include India restarting tourist visas for Chinese citizens after a five-year pause and allowing Indian pilgrims to undertake the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra in Tibet for the first time since 2020. China has also relaxed restrictions on urea shipments to India, the world’s largest importer of the fertilizer.
The thaw comes as India faces friction with the US over tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump on Indian imports of Russian oil. Meanwhile, officials from Beijing, Moscow, and New Delhi have expressed interest in reviving the trilateral RIC (Russia-India-China) framework.
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