ndia and China have agreed to resume direct flights and bolster trade and investment ties following a meeting on August 19, 2025, between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi. This step seeks to mend relations strained by the 2020 Galwan Valley border clash and the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted air connectivity since early that year. Both nations plan to finalize an updated Air Services Agreement, ease visa processes for tourists, businesses, and media, and reopen border trade through Lipulekh, Shipki La, and Nathu La passes. Direct flights could restart within a month, coinciding with Modi’s attendance at the SCO Summit in Tianjin starting August 31, 2025, amid bilateral trade exceeding $131 billion in 2024.