NEW DELHI: India and China agreed to resume direct flights and step up trade and investment flows as the neighbours rebuild ties damaged by a 2020 border clash.

The Asian giants are cautiously strengthening ties against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s unpredictable foreign policy, staging a series of high-level bilateral visits.

The two countries would resume direct flights and boost trade and investment, including reopening border trade at three designated points, and facilitate in visas, the Indian foreign ministry said.

Direct flights have been suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. No date was given for their resumption.

Moscow expects New Delhi to keep buying its oil

The latest statements came at the end of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s two-day visit to New Delhi for the 24th round of talks with Indian National Security (NSA) Adviser Ajit Doval to resolve their decades old border dispute.

The border talks covered issues related to pulling back troops both countries have amassed on their Himalayan border, delimitation of borders and boundary affairs, the Indian ministry said.

Both countries have agreed to set up a working group to consult and coordinate on border affairs to advance demarcation negotiations, a Chinese foreign ministry statement released on Wednesday showed.

It said the mechanism will extend talks to cover the eastern and middle sections of the border. Meanwhile, another round of talks on the western section will be held as soon as possible, the ministry said.

Beijing also said both countries agreed to meet again in China in 2026.

“Stable, predictable, constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and prosperity,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X after meeting Wang.

Russian oil

Meanwhile, Russia expects to continue supplying oil to India despite warnings from the United States, Russian embassy officials in New Delhi said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow hopes trilateral talks will soon take place with India and China.

US President Donald Trump has announced an additional tariff of 25 per cent on Indian goods exported to the US from August 27, as a punishment for buying Russian oil.

“I want to highlight that despite the political situation, we can predict that the same level of oil import (by India),” Roman Babushkin, the charge d’affaires at the Russian embassy in India, told a press briefing.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025