New Delhi – India and China have agreed to resume direct flights and step up trade and investment flows, signalling a cautious rebuilding of ties damaged by the 2020 border clash. The announcement came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s two-day visit to New Delhi for the 24th round of border talks with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
According to India’s foreign ministry, the agreement includes:
- Resuming direct passenger flights between the two countries, suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
- Reopening border trade at three designated points.
- Facilitating business visas and encouraging investment opportunities.
Although no specific date was given for the resumption of flights, both countries stressed that improved connectivity would help strengthen economic engagement.
Border Negotiations
Talks also covered troop withdrawals along the contested Himalayan frontier, as well as broader border delimitation efforts. A new working group will be established to consult on demarcation and coordinate future negotiations. Beijing confirmed that discussions would extend to the eastern and middle sections of the disputed boundary, while another round on the western section will be held soon. Both sides also agreed to meet again in China in 2026.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the importance of dialogue, posting on X: “Stable, predictable, constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and prosperity.” Modi is expected to visit China at the end of this month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit — his first trip there in over seven years.
Tibet Dam Concerns
A key agenda item was India’s concern over China’s construction of a mega dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, which becomes the Brahmaputra as it flows into India and Bangladesh. India called for “utmost transparency” regarding the project’s impact on downstream states. In response, China agreed to share emergency hydrological information and maintain expert-level mechanisms for river management and flood reporting.
Economic Engagement
Wang Yi also assured Indian officials that Beijing was addressing three priority concerns for India: the supply of fertilisers, rare earths, and tunnel boring machines — all crucial for India’s industrial and agricultural sectors.
The Chinese foreign ministry said the two sides should “enhance mutual trust through dialogues and expand cooperation,” stressing that stable relations are in the fundamental interests of both peoples.