The Cold Shoulder: India’s Position on China Pax Flights

Cooling Relations: India’s Stance on China Pax Flights

According to Reuters, the Indian Government is unlikely to allow the resumption of passenger flights to and from China until tensions at their Himalayan border lessen. Beijing supposedly considers this a high-priority problem, yet the deadlock persists.

The Chinese government has approached New Delhi “several times” recently, requesting that civilian traffic restart. Since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, there have been no scheduled passenger flights between India and China. “We hope India will work with China in the same direction for the early resumption of direct flights,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement last week, adding that restoring flights would benefit both countries.

Despite the requests, an anonymous senior Indian government official stated that the discussions would not go unless “there is peace and tranquillity on the border”. Since the 1960s, the two countries have claimed overlapping territories in the Himalayas. The conflict erupted in 2020 when hundreds of soldiers on both sides were killed in border skirmishes. Airlines in each country are also discussing the matter with their governments.