NewsGate Press Network

The annual pilgrimage of Kailash Mansarovar is to resume later this year as relations between India and China improve albeit slightly.

Direct commercial flights between India and China are also being re-started.

Both these decisions were taken during the two day visit to Beijing by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. He returned to Delhi on Monday.

In a detailed statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 27th of January 2025, India and China agreed to take certain people-centric steps to stabilize and rebuild ties post Galwan clashes in 2020 when all exchanges came to an abrupt halt.

The MEA statement added that  – that as agreed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at their meeting in Kazan in October, Foreign Secretary and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong reviewed the state of India-China bilateral relations comprehensively and

In this context, the two sides decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025; the relevant mechanism will discuss the modalities for doing so as per existing agreements.

It was also agreed to hold an early meeting of the India-China Expert Level Mechanism to discuss resumption of provision of hydrological data and other cooperation pertaining to trans-border rivers.

Both India and China have now agreed to take appropriate measures to further promote and facilitate people-to-people exchanges, including media and think-tank interactions, the MEA release said.

They agreed in principle to resume direct air services between the two countries; the relevant technical authorities on the two sides will meet and negotiate an updated framework for this purpose at an early date.

For two days on Sunday and Monday that is on 26th and 27th of January 2025  Vikram Misri called held meeting with member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Director of the Office of Central Commission of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Liu Jianchao.