Direct flights between China and India to recommence, visa issuance for tourism to be resumed, aiming to enhance cross-border trading activities
India and China have resumed high-level border negotiations, marking a constructive and steady improvement in relations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India in August 2025, where he co-chaired the 24th round of the Special Representatives' talks on the boundary question with India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
The talks built on important leader-level consensus reached earlier in Kazan, emphasizing mutual respect, sensitivity, and interest as guiding principles for progress. Both countries agreed to explore early harvests in boundary negotiations, with the 25th round of talks scheduled to be held in China in 2026.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful resolution and maintaining tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). They committed to reviving and expanding official bilateral dialogue mechanisms and exchanges, including people-to-people contacts, trade, tourism, and cultural pilgrimages such as Indian visits to Mount Kailash in Tibet.
Direct flights and border trade suspended since 2020 are set to resume soon, alongside facilitating visa issuance for tourists and business travelers, reflecting a thaw in ties. China has signaled goodwill by lifting export curbs on certain Indian-requested goods (rare earths, fertilizers, urea), while India has resumed diesel cargo shipments to China after a three-year pause.
Despite reduced tensions, unresolved friction points like Depsang and Demchok remain, with quieter conditions prevailing overall on the border. The two nations also agreed to cooperate and communicate closely on major international and regional issues through multilateral platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS.
The bilateral engagement aims not only at border stability but also at improving trade balance and economic cooperation, which has favored China but is now being actively addressed.
Meanwhile, China continues to support Pakistan in defending "national sovereignty and territorial integrity", as stated by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in talks with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in May. Wang is due in Pakistan after wrapping up a visit to India, marking the first time he is visiting Pakistan after his visit to India.
Relations between China and Pakistan have remained strong despite the conflict with India over Kashmir. A thaw in relations between China and India began last October when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time in five years. Indian Prime Minister Modi is also due to travel to China later in August, his first visit since 2018.
Sources:
- India, China Agree to Boost Trade, Resume High-Level Border Talks
- India-China Border Talks: What Happened and What's Next?
- India-China Border Talks: A New Era of Cooperation?
- India-China Relations: A Balancing Act
- India-China Ties: A Thaw in the Making
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