No direct flights have been operated between China and India since 2020, but the two Asian powers will resume direct flights between selected cities this month, ending a suspension of more than five years, a positive sign of cautious easing of tensions in India-China relations, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday, October 2.
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has said it will start daily (non-stop) flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou from October 26. According to IndiGo, it also plans to launch a route connecting the Chinese city with New Delhi.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China a month ago for the first time in seven years to attend the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) regional security bloc meeting, which drew global attention. There, Modi and Xi Jinping insisted that India and China are not rivals and discussed ways to strengthen trade ties amid global tariff uncertainty.
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However, during the meeting, Modi expressed concern over India’s growing trade deficit with China, which is around $99.2 billion.
Modi stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability along the disputed border between the two countries, where a border clash between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in 2020 triggered a five-year military standoff.
This article includes reporting from Reuters.