India, China chart path to normalcy with Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, flights
New Delhi: In a significant move to restore strained bilateral ties, India and China on Monday announced several measures, including resuming the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025 and restoring direct flights between the two countries. The decisions were finalised following talks between Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong in Beijing.
According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the two sides reviewed their bilateral relations comprehensively and agreed to take “people-centric steps” to stabilise and rebuild ties.
The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, suspended since 2020, is set to resume in the summer of 2025. “The relevant mechanism will discuss the modalities for doing so as per existing agreements,” the MEA statement said. The pilgrimage holds significant religious importance for Indian citizens and has been a key aspect of cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
The two sides also agreed to resume direct air services, which were halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The relevant technical authorities on the two sides will meet and negotiate an updated framework for this purpose at an early date,” the MEA noted.
Additionally, they agreed to hold an early meeting of the India-China expert-level mechanism to discuss the resumption of hydrological data sharing and other cooperation related to trans-border rivers. This move aims to ensure better coordination on water-related issues, which have been a recurring subject of bilateral discussions.
Both sides highlighted the importance of enhancing people-to-people exchanges. Measures to promote media and think-tank interactions were discussed, with the goal of fostering mutual understanding and trust. “The two sides recognise that 2025, being the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China, should be utilised to redouble public diplomacy efforts to create better awareness about each other,” the MEA said.
The discussions in Beijing follow a series of high-level engagements aimed at improving ties after years of tension. Misri met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China, during his visit.
The latest developments build on the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan in October 2024. During that meeting, the two leaders agreed to revive dialogue mechanisms and address areas of mutual concern. A disengagement agreement for Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh was finalised shortly before the meeting, paving the way for discussions on normalising broader relations.
Economic and trade issues were also part of the agenda during Misri’s visit. “Specific concerns in the economic and trade areas were discussed with a view to resolving these issues and promoting long-term policy transparency and predictability,” the MEA statement said. Both sides agreed to gradually resume functional dialogues and utilise these mechanisms to address each other’s priority areas of interest.
India and China recently completed the disengagement process in the friction points of Demchok and Depsang in eastern Ladakh. Following this, Indian and Chinese militaries resumed patrolling activities in these areas after a gap of nearly four-and-a-half years.
At last month’s Special Representatives (SR) dialogue in Beijing, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasised the importance of a fair and reasonable resolution to the boundary dispute. They also discussed resuming the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and other cross-border cooperation.
The agreements reached during Misri’s visit are seen as steps to stabilise relations, which had been strained due to prolonged border tensions. Both sides have reiterated the need to ensure peace and tranquillity in border areas as a prerequisite for normalising ties.
“The two sides agreed to resume dialogues step by step and to utilise them to address each other’s priority areas of interest and concern,” the MEA said.
With 2025 marking 75 years of diplomatic ties, India and China appear to be working toward rebuilding mutual trust and expanding areas of cooperation while addressing lingering issues through dialogue.
