India and China agreed to resume direct flight connectivity between the Chinese mainland and India at the earliest, as a part of the discussions upon Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi's visit.

Both sides agreed to finalise an updated Air Services Agreement.

"Both sides agreed to resume direct flight connectivity between Chinese mainland and India at the earliest, and finalize an updated Air Services Agreement. They also agreed on the facilitation of visas to tourists, businesses, media and other visitors in both directions," the statement read.

The flights were suspended after the Doklam crisis and the Covid pandemic.

On Tuesday, both sides agreed to continue and further expand the scale of the Indian pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash/Gang Renpoche and Lake Manasarovar/Mapam Yun Tso in Tibet starting in 2026.

The matter of reopening the Nathula route for the yatra was earlier raised in Parliament by Sikkim Rajya Sabha MP DT Lepcha, prompting coordinated efforts between the Government of India and the Government of Sikkim.

The resumption of the yatra through Nathula is expected to provide a spiritual avenue for pilgrims, while also boosting tourism and strengthening local economies along the route.

On August 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee, at the Prime Minister's Office in Delhi, a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry read.

PM Modi asked Wang Yi to convey his cordial greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, and expressed his great anticipation of attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Tianjin Summit in China and meeting with President Xi Jinping. India will fully support China's work as the rotating chair of the SCO and ensure the summit's complete success.

PM Modi noted that both India and China are ancient civilisations with a long history of friendly exchanges. The meeting between the leaders of the two countries in Kazan last October marked a turning point in the improvement and development of bilateral relations. India and China are partners, not rivals, and both face the common task of accelerating development.

They should strengthen exchanges, enhance understanding, and expand cooperation to showcase the enormous potential and bright prospects of India-China cooperation to the world. Both sides should also prudently manage and handle border issues and prevent differences from becoming disputes, as per the statement.

New phase in India-China ties with consensus on border peace, cooperation: Chinese Amb on PM Modi, Chinese FM meet

Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, on Wednesday, noted the potential of the renewed push in stabilising the bilateral ties between India and China in the wake of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India and his meeting with the top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a post on X, the Chinese Ambassador stated that PM Modi's meeting with the visiting Chinese FM marked a pivotal moment in India-China relations, underscoring a renewed commitment to stabilising bilateral ties, with both sides reaching a key consensus on border management, dialogue mechanisms, and cooperation.

Ambassador Xu, in his post, highlighted Chinese President Xi Jinping's appreciation for PM Modi's participation in the forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and emphasised that the two countries had implemented the key consensus reached during their earlier engagement at Kazan back in 2024 on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Russia.

He also noted that this had paved the way for bilateral relations to "enter a new course of improvement and development".

"Wang welcomed Modi's attendance at the upcoming summit, saying that leaders of both countries reached important consensus during the Kazan meeting, and the two countries have implemented the consensus to enable bilateral ties to enter a new course of improvement and development," Xu stated.

Wang, who also serves as a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, announced that both sides agreed to restart stalled dialogue mechanisms, enhance mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly address global challenges, and oppose unilateral bullying.

"Calling his visit to India a preparation for high-level exchanges between the two countries, Wang said during the visit, China and India have reached consensus on restarting dialogue mechanisms in various fields, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, upholding multilateralism, jointly addressing global challenges, and opposing unilateral bullying," the post read.

On the boundary issue, Xu noted the Foreign Minister's words that a new consensus had been reached to regularly manage and control the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), maintain peace and tranquillity, and initiate boundary negotiations in areas where conditions are conducive.

"Regarding the boundary question, the two sides reached new consensus on conducting regular management and control, maintaining peace and tranquility in border areas, appropriately handling sensitive points, and initiating boundary negotiations in areas where conditions are met, wang said. Wang said that bilateral ties have experienced ups and downs, and lessons could be learned from the past. No matter what happens, both sides should maintain correct perceptions of being partners, not rivals, adhere to the principle of properly managing differences to ensure that boundary disputes do not affect the overall situation of bilateral relations," the post added.

The Chinese Ambassador in his post also noted Wang's words, stating that the strategic significance of China-India relations is becoming more and more prominent under the current global scenario and that the value of bilateral cooperation is "more meaningful" than ever.

"Under the current international situation, strategic significance of China-India relations is increasingly prominent, and strategic value of China-India cooperation is more meaningful," the post added.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with PM Modi and handed over Chinese President Xi's invitation for the SCO Summit being held in Tianjin in China.

The Prime Minister thanked President Xi for the invitation to the SCO Summit and conveyed his acceptance.

"Glad to meet Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Since my meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, India-China relations have made steady progress guided by respect for each other's interests and sensitivities. I look forward to our next meeting in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. Stable, predictable, constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and prosperity," PM Modi stated in a post on X.

The SCO summit will be held in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1.

Source: ANI