PM Modi Meets Chinese Prez Xi Jinping at G20: Direct Flights to Kailash Mansarovar Soon

A month after India and China agreed to disengage at two conflict points along the Line of Actual Control, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia. PM Modi is travelling with Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar to Rio for the G20 Summit, underscoring the importance of India's participation in the event.

Following this, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the next steps to improve relations. These included restarting the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, sharing data on cross-border rivers, starting direct flights, and promoting media exchanges.

S. Jaishankar Meets Chinese Foreign Minister 

The two ministers, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They agreed to hold a meeting of the Foreign Secretary-Vice Minister mechanism and the Special Representatives soon.

In a statement, Jaishankar noted that they discussed recent progress in disengagement along the India-China border. They exchanged ideas on improving bilateral relations and addressed global issues.

Mansarovar Yatra Restarts

The Ministry of External Affairs highlighted several steps discussed during the meeting. These included restarting the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage, sharing data on cross-border rivers, initiating direct flights between India and China, and promoting media exchanges.

Strengthening Indo-China Relations

The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the ministers recognized the role of recent disengagement in maintaining peace and stability along the border. Strengthening India-China relations remained the central focus of their discussion.

According to the Chinese readout, both sides plan to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between India and China with events in both countries.

An agreement was made last month on October 21 between China and India over patrolling arrangements in Demchok and the Depsang Plains, two areas of contention along the LAC. The agreement's announcement prepared the ground for Modi and Xi to meet in Kazan for the BRICS Summit.

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