Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.
China and India have officially announced the resumption of direct flights between select cities beginning in late October after a five-year suspension over heightened border tensions.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, China and India have a pretty rocky relationship that hit some major issues in 2020 when a violent clash broke out between their troops in the Galwan Valley, a disputed area along the Himalayan border. The confrontation, which involved hand-to-hand combat and improvised weapons, led to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and 4 Chinese soldiers. The incident triggered a diplomatic freeze, with both sides ramping up their military presence along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and halting high-level political engagements. As tensions escalated, economic measures followed, including India banning dozens of Chinese apps and tightening scrutiny on Chinese investments. Since then, both nations have slowly resumed military and diplomatic talks.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, both countries confirmed that direct flights between select cities will resume by late October, marking a significant step in repairing their rocky relationship. IndiGo, India’s largest budget airline, announced it will begin daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou starting October 26, making it the first direct air link between the two countries since 2020. A second route connecting New Delhi to an as-yet-unconfirmed Chinese city is also in the pipeline, pending regulatory clearance.
India’s Foreign Ministry briefly commented on the news, saying that the flight resumption will “facilitate people-to-people contact” and contribute to the “gradual normalization of bilateral exchanges” between the neighboring countries.
This development follows a rare in-person meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit earlier this year, their first direct meeting in seven years. During the summit, both leaders agreed on the need to improve ties, with Xi stating that India and China are “development partners, not rivals.”
As part of this broader diplomatic shift, China has openly suggested that India reconsider joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a massive Asia-Pacific free trade agreement that India withdrew from in 2019. Chinese officials have argued that India’s entry into the RCEP could enhance trade between the two.
