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India and China resumed direct flights on Sunday after a five-year suspension — a significant move for trade and a symbolic step as both Asian powers cautiously rebuild strained relations.
Although the two neighbours remain strategic rivals competing for regional influence, tensions have eased since their deadly border clash in the Himalayas in 2020.
India’s government said the restoration of flights would enhance “people-to-people contact” and promote the “gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges.”
The development comes as New Delhi’s ties with Washington face strain, following US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods. Trump’s administration has also accused India of indirectly supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine through its purchase of Russian oil.
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, will operate the first daily flight to mainland China, departing Kolkata at 10:00 p.m. (1630 GMT) on Sunday for Guangzhou. Additional services between New Delhi, Shanghai, and Guangzhou will begin in November.
“The direct air link will cut logistics and transit times,” said Rajeev Singh, head of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata, adding that the resumption would greatly benefit trade and business relations.
Kolkata, India’s eastern port city, shares historic ties with China dating back to British colonial times, when Chinese traders settled there. Indo-Chinese cuisine remains a beloved part of the city’s cultural identity.
“It’s wonderful news for those of us with family in China,” said Chen Khoi Kui, a community leader in Kolkata’s Tangra Chinatown. “Air connectivity will strengthen trade, tourism, and personal travel.”
India currently runs a large trade deficit with China, relying on Chinese raw materials for industrial production. However, bilateral relations have thawed after meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Russia last year and China in August.
India’s imports from China rose to over $11 billion last month, a 16 percent increase from September 2024, while exports to China climbed 34 percent year-on-year to $1.47 billion, according to India’s Commerce Ministry.
Direct air links were suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, halting nearly 500 monthly flights. Relations deteriorated sharply after the 2020 border clash, which left 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead. New Delhi responded by tightening investment rules and banning Chinese apps, including TikTok.
Since then, India has strengthened cooperation with the US-led Quad alliance — alongside Japan and Australia — to counter China’s regional influence.
Despite lingering mistrust, both sides have shown small gestures of goodwill. Earlier this month, Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanged Diwali sweets along the contested 3,500-kilometre border, in what Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yu Jing described as “a symbol of goodwill.”
Following Modi and Xi’s August meeting, The Indian Express noted that warmer relations with Beijing “send an appropriate signal to Washington.”
However, the paper cautioned that deep divisions remain, concluding:
“Managing an increasingly assertive China remains India’s long-term challenge — a reality unchanged by Trump’s unpredictable diplomacy.”
