India-China Direct Flights Set to Resume, Signalling Thaw in Bilateral Ties
Direct flight services between India and China are poised to restart as early as next month, a move widely seen as a significant indicator of improving relations between the two Asian giants after years of strained ties.
The Indian government has reportedly instructed major carriers, including Air India and IndiGo, to prepare for flights to China on short notice. This resumption marks the end of a suspension that has been in place since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbated by heightened border tensions.
The cessation of direct air connectivity followed a deadly military confrontation in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020, which represented the most serious clash between Indian and Chinese troops in decades. This incident led to a sharp deterioration in bilateral relations, impacting economic and people-to-people exchanges, including restrictions on Chinese investments in India and increased scrutiny of imports.
While troop deployments were ramped up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), subsequent rounds of military and diplomatic talks have yielded some breakthroughs, particularly with the disengagement of forces in eastern Ladakh’s Depsang and Demchok plains, completed on October 30 last year. Despite some unresolved areas, recent months have shown small signs of a thaw, with ongoing dialogue aimed at easing tensions.
The impending restart of flights comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to China since 2019, as he is scheduled to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin later this month. China has publicly welcomed PM Modi’s visit, expressing confidence that the summit will be “a gathering of solidarity, friendship and fruitful results” and will usher in a new phase of high-quality development for the SCO.
This high-level engagement follows recent SCO-related meetings in China involving India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, further underscoring a concerted effort to stabilize and improve the bilateral relationship.
