January 28, 2025 – The two-day foreign secretary-level talks between India and China ended with several important agreements including visas, resumption of direct flights and the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra. The meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Beijing also agreed to resume the dialogue on trans-border rivers and sharing of hydrological data as well as facilitate exchange of journalists.

The meeting was the latest between the two Asian nations following an agreement in October to ease friction along the border. The Foreign Ministers of the two countries have agreed to work in the same direction, explore more substantive measures and commit to mutual understanding. China Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for an end to “mutual suspicion and estrangement” between the two countries.

The resumption of the yatra, which involves a visit to mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in Tibet, is being looked upon as a big positive. It has been put off since the Covid outbreak of 2020.

Direct passenger flights between Mainland China and India had been suspended for the past five years. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, around 500 monthly direct flights operated between the two countries. They were then halted at the start of the pandemic and did not resume owing to deteriorating relations between Beijing and New Delhi after a deadly military clash at a disputed border in the Himalayas.

“The relevant technical authorities on the two sides will meet and negotiate an updated framework for this purpose at an early date”, said India’s Foreign Ministry.

The India-China Expert Level Mechanism will also meet early to carry out discussions on the exchange of hydrological data and other collaboration pertaining to trans-border rivers.