India, China to resume Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, strengthen bilateral ties

New Delhi, Jan 27: India and China have agreed to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is on a visit to Beijing and discussions were held over the move.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), “The relevant mechanism will discuss the modalities for doing so as per existing agreements.”

In a step toward improving bilateral relations, both sides also agreed to hold an early meeting of the India-China Expert Level Mechanism to discuss the resumption of the provision of hydrological data and other cooperation related to trans-border rivers.

“Both sides recognise the importance of sustained cooperation in water resource management,” the statement noted.

Efforts to boost people-to-people exchanges were also a key focus during the discussions. India and China “agreed to take appropriate measures to further promote and facilitate exchanges, including media and think-tank interactions,” the MEA said.

Acknowledging the importance of connectivity, the two sides agreed in principle to resume direct air services between the two countries. “The relevant technical authorities on both sides will meet and negotiate an updated framework for this purpose at an early date,” the statement confirmed.

Looking ahead to 2025, which marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and China, both sides agreed to “redouble public diplomacy efforts to create better awareness about each other and restore mutual trust and confidence among the public.” A series of commemorative activities will be conducted to mark this milestone.

During his visit to Beijing on January 26-27, Foreign Secretary Misri met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong as part of the Foreign Secretary-Vice Foreign Minister mechanism. Their discussions built on the consensus reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at their meeting in Kazan in October 2024. The two officials “reviewed the state of India-China bilateral relations comprehensively and agreed to take certain people-centric steps to stabilise and rebuild ties,” the statement said.

Foreign Secretary Misri also met with senior Chinese officials, including Member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as well as Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Liu Jianchao. These interactions highlighted both sides’ commitment to utilising established dialogues to address each other’s “priority areas of interest and concern.”

On economic and trade matters, both sides took stock of existing challenges and agreed to work toward resolving outstanding issues. “Specific concerns in the economic and trade areas were discussed with a view to resolving these issues and promoting long-term policy transparency and predictability,” the statement read.

The visit comes as part of ongoing efforts to stabilise ties and ensure constructive engagement in various domains, reinforcing the commitment of both countries to fostering a stable and predictable relationship.