India, China To Resume Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, Direct Flights: MEA

The MEA said in a statement that India and China have decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025.

The Kailash Mansarovar seen from the flight. (Photo: PTI)

India-China Ties: India and China have decided to resume Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday. The decision was taken at the meeting between foreign secretary Vikram Misri and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. Following the meeting, the MEA said in a statement that the two sides have decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025.

India, China decide to resume Kailash Mansarovar Yatra: MEA

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 27, 2025

“The two sides decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025; the relevant mechanism will discuss the modalities for doing so as per existing agreements. They also agreed to hold an early meeting of the India-China Expert Level Mechanism to discuss the resumption of the provision of hydrological data and other cooperation pertaining to trans-border rivers,” Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement

India and China should meet each other halfway and commit themselves to mutual understanding rather than mutual suspicion, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday as he met Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri here.

Misri is in Beijing on a two-day visit for talks with Chinese officials to improve India-China relations, in the second such high-profile visit from India to China in less than one-and-a-half months.

In his meeting with Misri, Wang said that since the meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Russia last year, the two sides have earnestly implemented the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, carried out active interactions at all levels and accelerated the process of improving China-India relations, said a press release issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry here.

"The two sides should seize the opportunity, meet each other halfway, explore more substantive measures, and commit to mutual understanding, mutual support, and mutual achievement, rather than mutual suspicion, mutual alienation, and mutual consumption," Wang said.

The improvement and development of China-India relations is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and their peoples, and is conducive to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the global South countries, he said.

Good relations between India and China are also conducive to making contributions to the peace, stability, development and prosperity of the two ancient civilizations in Asia and the world, Wang said.

Besides being the Foreign Minister, Wang is a member of the powerful political bureau of the ruling Communist Party and China's Special Representative for the India-China border mechanism. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is the Special Representative from the Indian side. Misri’s visit to China followed last month's talks between Wang and Doval under the Special Representatives mechanism.

(With PTI Inputs)