By Sanxuan

China and India have officially announced it.

At today's regular press conference of the Foreign Ministry, the spokesperson confirmed that direct flights between China and India will resume at the end of this month. The direct flight from Kolkata to Guangzhou is already available for booking through travel software, and the route from Guangzhou to New Delhi will be launched later. It has been five years since the last time direct flights between China and India were open.

As neighboring countries, China and India have well-developed transportation. Before 2020, there were hundreds of direct flights each month, sometimes it was more convenient to go to India than to other provinces. How could such a convenient route be suspended for five years? And why has it suddenly resumed now?

Let us first understand the background of the suspension of the flights. Initially, it was due to the pandemic, and India suspended all international flights, including direct flights between China and India.

If that is the case, then why hasn't the resumption happened after the pandemic? You probably have guessed the reason by now. Not long after, China and India had a border conflict, which led to a stalemate, and the resumption of direct flights was put on hold.

In addition, India significantly restricted Chinese citizens' entry. Even if they traveled by other means, it was difficult to enter, while goods could flow freely. Although cold war tactics are in play, business still needs to be done. A country like India, which likes to take advantage, naturally would not turn down money.

In fact, unless there are special reasons, Chinese people are not willing to go to India. On social media, the "clean and hygienic" environment in India has deterred many people. However, some people do have special reasons to go to India, such as academic exchanges or import-export trade. The prolonged suspension of direct flights between China and India has caused them a lot of trouble.

Because of this, China has made frequent contacts with Indian authorities. Our position has always been clear: deal with things on their own merits. Border conflicts are one thing, but Sino-Indian people-to-people exchanges are another. It's meaningless to tie them together.

Moreover, the border conflict was initiated by India. If anyone should be angry, it shouldn't be them. It's just that Modi wants to win domestic support, so he takes China as a scapegoat, which is why he has remained firm.

The Indian government is tough, but the business and tourism sectors are not satisfied. After the closure of direct flights between China and India, Chinese partners and tourists decreased dramatically, causing great impact on these industries.

Under public pressure, the Indian government had to consider resuming flights. Moreover, Trump's election accelerated this process.

India used to rely on the United States, cooperating with them to contain China in the Asia-Pacific region. But Trump is different from his predecessor Biden. Whether a country is an enemy or a friend, if it has trade relations with the United States, it will face tariffs.

Because of purchasing Russian oil, India was hit with the highest level of tariffs. Modi couldn't bear the embarrassment, so he had to stand firm, and reconciling with China became an urgent priority.

This year, China and India have carried out a series of friendly interactions. First, the foreign ministers met, and not long after, Modi personally visited China to attend the SCO Summit. It was a rare visit to China after many years, a breakthrough journey. The resumption of direct flights between China and India is the latest achievement of the SCO Summit.

It is worth mentioning that the news of the resumption was first announced by India, while China had not yet revealed any information. This shows that India is eager to show goodwill to China. After all, under Trump's set of measures, the domestic situation in India has changed greatly, and showcasing the results of the visit to China is beneficial for Modi himself.

Certainly, there is still a long way to go before China and India fully restore their relations. India has a poor reputation in terms of credibility. We need to listen to what they say and observe what they do, and carefully evaluate before taking the next step.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7559159546103546410/

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