China set to ease rare earth, fertiliser curbs

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who wrapped up a two-day visit to New Delhi on Tuesday, has promised his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar that Beijing will ease restrictions on exports to India of fertilisers, rare earth minerals, and tunnel-boring machines.

- ARCHIS MOHAN

Late in the evening, Beijing and New Delhi resumed border trade and direct flights.

Both sides also agreed to maintain a rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and promote a multipolar world that safeguards the interest of developing countries, a joint statement said.

The two ministers also prepared the ground for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China later this month, his first since 2018, to attend the Cooperation Shanghai Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit and are expected to announce further steps to normalise relations between India and China.