India-China ties: Both sides agree to reopen border trade, resume flights – key details here
NEW DELHI: India and China on Tuesday agreed to reopen border trade through three designated passes and resume direct flight connectivity, as part of a broader push towards easing tensions and stabilising bilateral ties.The decisions were announced after the 24th round of the Special Representatives’ dialogue on the Boundary Question, co-chaired by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was on a two-day visit to India. On his first day, he met EAM S Jaishankar. On Tuesday, he met NSA Doval and later Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, where he handed over President Xi Jinping’s invitation for PM Modi to attend the SCO Summit in China.
Key agreements
Border Trade: Both sides agreed to reopen trade through the three designated passes — Lipulekh, Shipki La, and Nathu La — to boost cross-border economic activity.Flights & Visas: India and China will resume direct flights at the earliest and update the Air Services Agreement. They also agreed to ease visa processes for tourists, businesses, media, and other visitors to strengthen people-to-people contact.Investment & Cooperation: The two countries pledged to promote trade, investment flows, and exchanges, and to restart bilateral dialogue mechanisms. This includes holding the Third India-China High-Level People-to-People Exchanges Meeting in 2026.Trans-border rivers: They agreed to strengthen cooperation through the Expert Level Mechanism and maintain communication on MoU renewals. China also committed to sharing hydrological data during emergencies on humanitarian grounds.Global Cooperation: Both sides reaffirmed their support for multilateralism and a rules-based trading system with the WTO at its core. They also agreed to promote a multipolar world order that safeguards the interests of developing nations.The two sides held candid and in-depth discussions on the boundary question and agreed to seek a “fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable” settlement in line with the 2005 agreement on guiding principles. They also agreed to set up an Expert Group, under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), to explore “early harvest” in boundary delimitation in the India-China border areas.They agreed to “setting up a Working Group, under the WMCC, to advance effective border management in order to maintain peace and tranquillity in India-China border areas”.Both countries noted that peace has been maintained along the border since the last round of talks and stressed the need for continued stability to support overall development of bilateral ties.India further reaffirmed support for China’s upcoming SCO Summit in Tianjin, while China welcomed India’s hosting of the 2026 BRICS Summit. In turn, India will back China’s hosting of the 2027 BRICS Summit.The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation on trans-border rivers, with China committing to share hydrological data during emergencies.The meeting ended on a positive note, with both sides agreeing that a “stable, cooperative and forward-looking” relationship is in their mutual interest.
