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Informist, Friday, Jun. 13, 2025

NEW DELHI – India and China have agreed to expedite steps to resume direct air services between the two countries, and the two sides have also agreed to take steps for visa facilitation, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday. The decision was taken during a meeting between Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in New Delhi on Thursday.

"The two sides agreed to expedite steps involved in resuming direct air services between the two countries. Foreign Secretary hoped for the early conclusion of an updated Air Services Agreement," the ministry said in statement. Direct air services between the two countries were suspended in 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and clashes between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control.

Amid a shortage of rare-earth magnets posed by China's export restrictions, New Delhi and Beijing also agreed to hold "certain functional dialogues", including in economic and trade areas to discuss and resolve "specific issues of concern". India is heavily reliant on China for supply of rare-earth magnets, accounting for over 80% of its needs, according to reports. On Thursday, the external affairs ministry said India was in touch with China to ensure the supply of rare earth magnets.

At the meeting, the two sides also reviewed developments in India-China bilateral relations since their last meeting in Beijing on Jan. 27, and agreed to continue to stabilise and rebuild ties with a priority on people-centric engagements.

Foreign Secretary Misri also appreciated cooperation by the Chinese side in the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra this year. He noted the discussion at the April meeting of the expert-level mechanism for cooperation on trans-border rivers for resumption of provision of hydrological data, and hoped for progress on this front.  End

Reported by Kuldeep Singh

Edited by Avishek Dutta

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