In a big step forward in India-China ties, the two countries have discussed resuming direct flights between the countries as well restarting the Kailash Mansarovar yatra.
The two key issues were discussed when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Rio de Janeiro, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
The meeting was the first high-level engagement between the two countries since the completion of the disengagement process in the two contentious areas of Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh and the ministers noted that this had contributed to the maintenance of peace and tranquility.
Direct flights between India and China were suspended because of the Covid pandemic in 2020 and have not resumed since then despite the restrictions being lifted. The stand-off in Ladakh began in May that year and a clash took place in Ladakh’s Galwan the next month in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in action and the Chinese side also suffered losses, with the exact number remaining unconfirmed. A troop buildup followed on both sides and military-level talks began taking place to resolve the stand-off.
The Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva, in China was also suspended during the pandemic in 2020 and is yet to resume.
In a note, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the resumption of the flights and the pilgrimage as well as data sharing on trans-border rivers and media exchanges were discussed by Mr Jaishankar and Mr Yi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia last month, after the disengagement in the two points was announced. The MEA said that, during the meeting, Mr Jaishankar noted that India and China have both “differences and convergences” and have worked constructively in the BRICS and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) framework while cooperating in G20 as well.
Asserting that India has had a consistent foreign policy, Mr Jaishankar said, “We are strongly committed to a multipolar world, including a multipolar Asia. Where India is concerned, its foreign policy has been principled and consistent, marked by independent thought and action. We are against unilateral approaches to establish dominance. India does not view its relationships through the prism of other nations.”
