India-China in talks to resume border trade after 5-year gap as tensions ease

India is working with China to resume trade through lipulekh, Shipki La and Nathu La passes, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement.

"We have remained engaged with the Chinese side to facilitate the resumption of border trade through all the designated trade points-namely Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, Shipki La Pass in Himachal Pradesh, and Nathu La Pass in Sikkim. If there are any updates, we will keep you informed," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a media briefing.

Meanwhile, India and China will be holding a crucial meeting next week to discuss border disputes between the two countries. Both countries will be holding the Special Representative Level talks next week.

The



Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, will be visiting India on August 18 for the talks. He will meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Both leaders will discuss the boundary issues between the two nations.

The meeting holds significance as it will be the first visit by a Chinese Foreign Minister to India post the Galwan clashes of June 2020.

Direct flight services between both the nations are likely to resume from next month.

The Indian government has reportedly asked carriers such as Air India and IndiGo to be ready to operate flights to China at short notice.

Here it is to be noted that the direct air connectivity between the two nations has remained suspensed since the onset of Covid-19.