India, China agree to resume direct air services

BEIJING: India and China agreed in principle on Monday to resume direct flights between the two nations, nearly five years after the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent political tensions halted them.

The announcement came at the conclusion of a visit to Beijing by New Delhi’s top career diplomat and heralds the latest signs of a thaw in the frosty ties between the world’s two most populous nations.

Indian foreign ministry secretary Vikram Misri’s trip to the Chinese capital marked one of the most senior official visits since a deadly Himalayan troop clash on their shared border in 2020 sent relations into a tailspin.

A statement from India’s foreign ministry said a visit by a top envoy to Beijing had yielded agreement “in principle to resume direct air services between the two countries”. “The relevant technical authorities on the two sides will meet and negotiate an updated framework for this purpose at an early date,” it said.

India’s statement also said both sides had agreed to work harder on diplomacy to “restore mutual trust and confidence” and to resolve outstanding trade and economic issues.