China and India resume direct flights after five-year hiatus

After a five-year hiatus, direct flights between China and India have resumed.

Around 180 passengers were on board IndiGo flight 6E1703 from Kolkata, which touched down in Guangzhou, southern China, just before 4 00 AM on Monday (20:00 GMT on Sunday). The latest indication that the two most populous countries are slowly but surely rekindling diplomatic ties after a number of diplomatic sluggish years.

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The government of India predicted that the return of flights will promote “people-to-people contact” and promote “gradual normalization of bilateral exchanges.”

Early in 2020, flights between the neighboring nations were suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The shared Himalayan border has been the site of deadly clashes that have raged for a long time.

However, relations are resuming as a result of President Donald Trump’s administration’s battle with American foreign policy issues.

India’s ties to Washington, a crucial trading partner, are deteriorating, with New Delhi trying to persuade it to reverse its decision to impose 50 percent trade tariffs.

Trump’s supporters claim that India has financed Russia’s conflict in Ukraine with oil purchases.

China is accused of directly supporting Russia’s use of weapons in a trade dispute that is ongoing.

In an effort to stop their trade dispute from worsening, Trump and President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet on Thursday.

Thaw

Following discussions between Xi and Narendra Modi in China in August and in Russia last year, New Delhi and Beijing thawed.

At least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in the border skirmish between the nuclear-armed countries in 2020, which led to the ban of hundreds of apps, including TikTok, in New Delhi.

India then strengthened its ties to the US-led Quad alliance, which included Japan and Australia, in an effort to combat China’s influence in the Asia Pacific.

However, this month, Chinese and Indian soldiers stationed at the Himalayan border exchanged sweets during the Hindu holiday of Diwali, according to Yu Jing, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in India.

In an editorial following Modi and Xi’s meeting in August, The Indian Express stated that strengthening ties with Beijing “sents an appropriate signal” to Washington.

However, the newspaper added that “India’s long-term challenge is managing an increasingly assertive China.”