Beijing, Jan 27: India and China on Monday decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra as the two sides agreed to take certain people-centric steps to “stabilise and rebuild” ties.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said this following Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s talks with his Chinese counterpart Sun Weidong in Beijing.
It said the two sides also agreed in principle to resume direct air services between the two countries.
“As agreed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at their meeting in Kazan in October, the two sides reviewed the state of India-China bilateral relations comprehensively and agreed to take certain people-centric steps to stabilize and rebuild ties,” the MEA said.
“In this context, the two sides decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025,” it said.
The MEA said the two sides 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.
It said the two sides agreed to take appropriate measures to further promote and facilitate people-to-people exchanges, including media and think-tank interactions.
“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,” the MEA said.
India, China should meet each other halfway: FM Wang as he meets FS Misri
India and China should meet each other halfway and commit themselves to mutual understanding rather than mutual suspicion, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday as he met Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri here.
Misri is here on a two-day visit for talks with Chinese officials to improve India-China relations, in the second such high-profile visit from India to China in less than one-and-a-half months.
In his meeting with Misri, Wang said that since the meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Russia last year, the two sides have earnestly implemented the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, carried out active interactions at all levels and accelerated the process of improving China-India relations, said a press release issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry here.
“The two sides should seize the opportunity, meet each other halfway, explore more substantive measures, and commit to mutual understanding, mutual support, and mutual achievement, rather than mutual suspicion, mutual alienation, and mutual consumption,” Wang said.
The improvement and development of China-India relations is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and their peoples, is conducive to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the global South countries, he said.
Good relations between India and China are also conducive to making contributions to the peace, stability, development and prosperity of the two ancient civilizations in Asia and the world, Wang said.
Besides being the Foreign Minister, Wang is a member of the powerful political bureau of the ruling Communist Party and China’s Special Representative for the India-China border mechanism.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is the Special Representative from the Indian side.
Misri’s visit to China followed last month’s talks between Wang and Doval under the Special Representatives mechanism.
After his arrival here on Sunday, Misri met Liu Jianchao, head of the influential International Department of the ruling Communist Party which sets the tone for China’s foreign policy.
The two sides exchanged views on jointly implementing the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthening exchanges and dialogues, and promoting the improvement and healthy and stable development of China-India relations, as well as international and regional issues of common concern, official media reported.
The visit of Misri, India’s former Ambassador to China, is taking place ahead of the celebrations of China’s Spring Festival and the Chinese New Year, beginning on January 29, during which the country will officially shut down for a week. (PTI)
