India-China Direct Flights May Resume Soon Amid Diplomatic Thaw

Post by: Bandan Preet

China has confirmed that it is working with India to restart direct flights between the two countries, according to a report by India Today on Wednesday.

Direct flights between India and China were stopped in early 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Both countries had placed strict rules on international travel during that time. Later, the suspension continued due to rising tensions after the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, where soldiers from both sides were killed. This incident caused a freeze in diplomatic talks.

Before the pandemic, there were direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Kunming to Indian cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. There were around 50 flights every week. Now, both countries are making efforts to restart these flights as soon as possible.

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During a press conference on Tuesday, the Chinese Consul General in Kolkata, Xu Wei, said, “Both sides are working hard to bring back direct flights quickly.”

The decision to resume flights is the result of continuous discussions between the two countries. It began with Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to China in January. After this meeting, India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that both sides had agreed, in principle, to restart direct air travel.

Xu Wei said this is a positive step for the relationship between India and China. He mentioned that April 1 will mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He added, “We are happy to see that the spring of China-India relations is coming.” He also said China is ready to use this anniversary as a chance to learn from the past and move forward in a friendly way with India.

Sources also told India Today that China hopes India will ease visa rules for Chinese citizens. This has been a long-standing request from China, especially as trade between the two nations is growing.

On Tuesday, both countries held diplomatic talks in Beijing under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC). The meeting focused on improving border management and restarting cross-border activities. This included discussions on the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage and cooperation on trans-border rivers. They also reviewed the progress made during the December meeting between India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, and Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi.

The talks and the plan to resume direct flights show that India and China are trying to rebuild their relationship and improve cooperation.

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