India and China have agreed to restart direct flights after more than five years, in a move signalling efforts by the world’s two largest economies to rebuild political trust and stabilise trade relations.
The announcement came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin on Sunday.
“The two leaders noted the need to strengthen people-to-people ties through direct flights and visa facilitation, building on the resumption of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and tourist visa,” the Minstry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. Details on when the flights will resume have not been provided.
Modi and Xi also deemed it necessary to expand common ground on bilateral, regional, and global issues and challenges, like terrorism and fair trade in multilateral platforms.
“On economic and trade relations, they recognized the role of their two economies to stabilize world trade. They underlined the need to proceed from a political and strategic direction to expand bilateral trade and investment ties and reduce trade deficit. Prime Minister noted that India and China both pursue strategic autonomy, and their relations should not be seen through a third country lens,” the MEA’s statement added.
Xi Jinping Tells PM Modi ‘Dragon, Elephant Must Unite Amid Global Chaos’
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, said it is vital for China and India to be friends and for the “Dragon and the Elephant” to unite at a time when the world is facing unprecedented turmoil. Xi’s remarks come amid US President Donald Trump tariff war and his open threats to both nations over their purchase of Russian energy.
Framing it as the “right choice” for both sides to cooperate, Xi said the two countries must be “friends and good neighbours” who enable each other’s success, stressing it was time for the “dragon and the elephant to dance together.”
“The world today is swept by once-in-a-century transformations. The international situation is both fluid and chaotic. China and India are two ancient civilisations in the East, we are the world’s two most populous countries, and we are also important members of the Global South. We both shoulder the historical responsibility of improving the well-being of our two peoples, promoting the solidarity and rejuvenation of developing countries, and promoting the progress of human society. It is the right choice for both sides to be friends, who have good neighbourly and amicable ties, partners who enable each other’s success, and to have the dragon and the elephant dance together,” Xi said.