Now Reading: India and China to resume direct flights after five-year halt
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India and China to resume direct flights after five-year halt
China's Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport confirmed on Friday that direct flights between India and China will resume later this month, ending a suspension of over five years. The move signals a cautious…
China's Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport confirmed on Friday that direct flights between India and China will resume later this month, ending a suspension of over five years. The move signals a cautious easing of bilateral tensions that began with a military standoff along the disputed border in 2020.
India's foreign ministry announced the decision on Thursday. India's largest carrier, IndiGo, said it will start daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou from October 26. The Guangzhou airport statement added that it will actively promote airlines to open routes such as Guangzhou-Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China last month for the first time in seven years, meeting President Xi Jinping. They agreed that India and China are development partners, not rivals. Modi raised concerns about India's trade deficit with China, which stands at nearly $99.2 billion, and stressed the need for peace along the disputed border.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The resumption of direct flights is the most tangible outcome of the Modi-Xi meeting in Kazan last month, but it does not resolve the core military standoff along the Line of Actual Control. Trade remains heavily imbalanced: India's deficit with China is among its largest, exceeding $99 billion. The next signal to watch is whether Chinese airlines match IndiGo's service, and whether talks on border patrol arrangements at the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh resume before winter.
Source: japantimes.co.jp
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
