India and The People's Republic of China to Resume Non-Stop Air Travel After Five-Year Halt

India's largest budget carrier Aircraft at Kolkata airport
A major Indian airline will initiate non-stop services between Kolkata and Guangzhou from 26 October.

India's foreign ministry has declared that non-stop air travel between the South Asian nation and the Asian giant will restart this month, marking another step towards the progressive restoration of bilateral ties.

Non-stop services were suspended between the two nations since the year 2020, following fatal military confrontations along their disputed frontier in the Himalayas.

However over the last twelve months, Delhi and Beijing have been working towards improving diplomatic connections, including taking measures to ease border standoffs.

On Thursday, India's biggest budget airline said that it would resume direct flights between the cities of Kolkata and Guangzhou from 26 October.

In a press release released on the same day, India's foreign ministry stated that the restarting of air services would "enhance cultural and personal exchanges" between the nations and contribute towards "step-by-step restoration of mutual engagements."

The two Asian powers share an disputed boundary that is more than 3,440km long and have competing sovereignty demands.

In 2020, troops of the two countries fought at the Galwan Valley, leaving at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese military personnel fatally wounded.

It was the first fatal confrontation between the two sides since 1975 and led to a deterioration in relations.

Nevertheless over the recent months, China and India have been taking measures to gradually re-rebuild the strained rapport.

Senior diplomats from the two sides have held multiple discussions and consultations.

In the previous October, India and China agreed on border monitoring protocols to de-escalate tensions along the disputed Himalayan border.

This year, the Chinese government began permitting Indian pilgrims to visit some holy locations in what it calls the Tibet region, while India restarted visa services to Chinese tourists and agreed to restart negotiations to open cross-frontier commerce through specific routes.

The Indian government's souring relationship with the US over punishing tariffs has also provided an impetus to Delhi-Beijing ties.

In the month of August, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Delhi, where he said that India and China should see each other as "allies" rather than "adversaries."

Subsequently in August, Chinese ambassador to India Xu Feihong called the United States a "aggressor" for enforcing heavy duties on India and other countries.

In August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first visit since 2017 for the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO), where he also met China's leader on the sidelines of the summit, and the both leaders restated their pledge towards normalising India-China ties.

Douglas Wilson
Douglas Wilson

A seasoned construction engineer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in sustainable building practices and innovative project management.