India-China Ties Reset: Flights, Yatra, River Talks Revived
Why in the news
In January 2025, about three months after the Line of Actual Control (LAC) standoff was settled, New Delhi and Beijing announced practical steps to normalise relations. These covered travel, pilgrimage, rivers and trade concerns.
Key facts
- Direct flights and visa issuance to be restarted to ease travel between the two countries.
- Mansarovar Yatra to resume in the summer, seen as a cultural and religious milestone.
- Talks on trans-border rivers to restart, including hydrological data sharing that China had stopped.
- Plans for events marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, meant to rebuild trust.
- Talks led by Vikram Misri (Foreign Secretary) and Sun Weidong (Chinese Vice Foreign Minister), building on the Modi-Xi Kazan meeting.
- Both sides discussed trade and economic worries to improve transparency and predictability.
- India supports China’s chairing of the SCO; no confirmation of an informal Modi-Xi summit in 2025.
| Side | Concerns raised |
|---|---|
| India | Curbs on APIs and high-tech exports that delayed equipment such as TBM; China’s Yarlung Tsangpo hydropower project |
| China | Hurdles to investing in India, refusal of business visas, raids on Chinese telecom firms |
Why China matters to India
- China is India’s largest trading partner despite border friction.
- India imports more than USD 12 billion of electronic components from China (2023-24).
- Pharma depends heavily on Chinese APIs; solar equipment is largely imported, mostly from China.
- Chinese firms lead the smartphone market; Chinese parts remain in telecom gear; EV makers rely on Chinese battery technology.
- In 2020, 18 Indian unicorns had over USD 3,500 million of Chinese investment.
- Over 55% of India’s trade moves through the South China Sea and Malacca Straits, where China is dominant.
Areas of conflict
- Border: 3488 km LAC; tense standoffs since May 2020; China builds dual-use villages and military infrastructure.
- Trade deficit: imports rose despite anti-dumping steps; Chinese goods also enter through ASEAN and bilateral FTAs.
- Water: China controls upper reaches of the Brahmaputra; data sharing stopped in 2017; no treaty.
- Cyber: China-linked hackers hit power hubs and the AIIMS Delhi ransomware attack; 300+ Chinese apps banned since 2020.
- Regional: BRI in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar; naval presence in the Indian Ocean including Hambantota.
- Global forums: China shields Pakistan-based terrorists at the UN and resists India’s UNSC and NSG ambitions.
Way forward for India
- Scale up PLI schemes and the Semiconductor Mission; work with Japan, South Korea and the EU on investment and technology.
- Build roads and forward bases along the LAC; improve satellite and drone surveillance; strengthen mountain warfare and rapid-reaction forces.
- Deepen ties with neighbours; strengthen BIMSTEC and IORA.
- Stay engaged via SCO, BRICS and QUAD; shift supply chains to India through China+1 and PM Gati Shakti; sign FTAs with the UK and EU.
- Upgrade port links under Sagarmala and boost maritime cooperation with QUAD and ASEAN.
Exam angle
- Who led the talks: Vikram Misri and Sun Weidong; the preceding meeting was held in Kazan.
- Length of the LAC: 3488 km; river at issue: Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra).
- Previously asked: Belt and Road Initiative is linked with China (UPSC Prelims 2016); CPEC in Mains 2018.