(Adnkronos) – The process of diplomatic thaw between China and India continues. The two Asian giants have in fact announced – on the occasion of a visit to Beijing by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri – the resumption of direct flights between the two countries after a break of almost five years, caused by border disputes in the Kashmir region. The rapprochement also includes agreements to improve access for journalists from both sides and to facilitate pilgrimages to a Hindu holy site in Tibet.
In recent months, the two nations have made substantial progress in normalizing their relations. Relations had plummeted to their worst levels in decades in 2020, when an incursion by Beijing’s forces resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. In October, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Russia for the first direct talks in over five years. The meeting was made possible by dozens of rounds of negotiations between military and diplomatic leaders on the disengagement of forces along the border atop the Himalayas.
Misri’s trip to Beijing served to follow up on a series of “people-centric steps to stabilize and rebuild ties,” the ministry said in a statement after the visit. The ministry added that officials from the two sides will meet to discuss technical details of the resumption of flights, which have been suspended since the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. Flights to Hong Kong have long since resumed, while those to mainland China have remained suspended due to the diplomatic freeze between the two countries. In his meeting with Misri, Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, called on both sides to “seize the opportunity, meet halfway” in hopes of ending “mutual suspicion, mutual alienation and mutual attrition,” according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry.
Chinese aggression on the Indian border and the escalation of tensions and the trade war between Beijing and Washington have intensified the debate about the possibility of India posing as a counterweight to China. US officials have also expressed hope that India, which has surpassed China as the world’s most populous nation, can help diversify global supply chains that are heavily dependent on Chinese manufacturing.
The border clashes highlighted the urgency for New Delhi to modernize its armed forces, perhaps by expanding defense and technology ties with the United States. But analysts quoted by the New York Times say India remains cautious, avoiding taking sides in the challenge between China and the United States. According to analysts, India’s stance is influenced by its deep vulnerability to a much larger economic and military power on its border, as well as a historic distrust of the United States dating back in part to the Cold War.
India’s industrial potential remains largely unfulfilled. Beyond some recent successes in the technology sector, such as the expansion of iPhone production in India or investments in chip production, the country has struggled to significantly expand the manufacturing sector. Observers have pointed out that this is also an area where India’s aspirations remain vulnerable to China, the source of machinery and raw materials for many of India’s industries. Fearing that a process of ‘replacing’ China with its neighbor is underway, Beijing has restricted exports of many strategic machinery to India.
