China and India have agreed to resume direct commercial flights between the two countries "as soon as possible," which were suspended five years ago, Chinese state media reported.

The two countries "also agreed to facilitate the issuance of visas for tourists, businesspeople, media, and other visitors in both directions."

This is a new sign of the continuing thaw in relations during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to India on August 18 and 19, AFP reported.

Direct flights between the two countries were suspended due to COVID-19 and bilateral tensions.

Their relations deteriorated particularly after clashes between soldiers in 2020 along the 3,500-kilometer border in the Himalayas, which is disputed in some parts and has been the cause of regular incidents.

In October 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time in five years during a summit in Russia.

Modi will visit China at the end of August for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

This will be the Indian prime minister's first visit to China since 2018.

Faced with tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, Beijing and New Delhi are seeking to strengthen their ties.

During Wang's talks with Indian leaders, "the two sides agreed to resume direct air links between mainland China and India as soon as possible and finalize an updated air services agreement."

They agreed "to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas through friendly consultations."

They intend "to explore the possibility of advancing border demarcation negotiations" and agreed "to facilitate trade and investment through concrete measures," the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported, without specifying what those measures would be.

They also agreed to open three cross-border markets.

According to Indian media, before the COVID-19 crisis, there were nearly 500 direct flights per month between the two countries.

After India, the Chinese minister will remain in Pakistan, India's major rival and one of China's main partners in the region, until August 22. | BGNES