India, China will resume pilgrimage, direct flights

India and China decided on Monday to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and agreed in principle to resume direct flights as foreign secretary Vikram Misri met Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong in Beijing to discuss the next steps in normalising bilateral ties after a border standoff of more than four years.

- Rezaul H Laskar

The meeting between Misri and Sun marked the revival of the foreign secretary-vice foreign minister mechanism, the latest in a series of engagements since the two sides reached an understanding last October aimed at reducing tensions on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Misri and Sun reviewed bilateral relations and "agreed to take certain people-centric steps to stabilise and rebuild ties", the external affairs ministry said in a statement. The two sides decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage in the summer of 2025, and further discussions will be held on the modalities in line with existing agreements.

The two sides also "agreed in principle to resume direct air services" and the relevant technical authorities in India and China will "negotiate an updated framework" for this at an early date, the statement said.

They further agreed to take appropriate steps to promote and facilitate people-to-people exchanges, including media and think tank interactions. The twosides will also hold an early meeting of the India-China Expert Level Mechanism to discuss the resumption of provision of hydrological data and other cooperation related to transborder rivers, the statement said.