China says in close communication with India to resume direct flights

China on Thursday said it is in close communication with India to resume direct flights between the two countries, amid speculation that the two sides are preparing to restart air connectivity very soon after a gap of five years.

"We noted relevant reports," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said when asked about reports that airlines of the two countries have been told to be ready to operate flights and an official announcement was expected during the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit to be held on Aug 31-Sept 1 at Tianjin.

"For some time, the Chinese side has been in close communication with India to promote the early resumption of direct flights between the two countries," he said.

Speculation was rife as Indian Consul General in Shanghai Pratik Mathur held talks with the officials of China Eastern Airlines on Thursday.

A post on X by the Consulate said Mathur met with the senior management team of China Eastern Airlines global, led by Shen Jinsong, Senior GM Global, and discussed issues related to the growth of civil aviation and hospitality sectors in the region.

Travel and tourism companies in Shanghai remain keenly engaged in growth opportunities represented by where the sky is the limit, the post said.

State-owned China Eastern Airlines, along with Air China, used to operate daily flights to several Indian cities, including Delhi, but the air traffic came to a halt after the COVID-19 pandemic and the bilateral tensions following the military standoff in Eastern Ladakh.

Lin said resuming direct flights between the Chinese mainland and India helps to facilitate cross-border travel, exchanges and cooperation as the two countries have a combined population of over 2.8 billion.

India and China are in the process of normalising relations after over four years of a freeze in ties over the military standoff in Eastern Ladakh.

Asked about reports that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be visiting India on August 18 to attend the Special Representatives talks, Lin said, "China and India are maintaining interactions at various levels".

"We stand ready to work with India to act on the important common understandings reached between leaders of our two countries, maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, cement political mutual trust, enhance practical cooperation, properly handle differences, and promote the sustained, sound and steady development of China-India ties," Lin said.

"On the specific visit, relevant information will be released in due course," he said.

Wang and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval are the designated special representatives for the boundary talks.

Doval travelled to China in December last and held the SR talks with Wang, weeks after PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping decided to revive various dialogue mechanisms between the two sides at a meeting in the Russian city of Kazan.

When asked how China sees its relations with India evolving as New Delhi's ties with Washington faced challenges, Lin said China and India are both major developing countries and important members of the Global South.

"A cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant as partners helping each other succeed is the right choice for both sides," he said.

He said China stands ready to work with India to act on the important common understandings reached between leaders of our two countries, consistently increase political mutual trust, expand exchanges and cooperation together, properly handle differences while bearing in mind the bigger picture, and strengthen coordination and cooperation on such multilateral platforms as the SCO, with a view to promoting the sound and steady development of China-India relations.