Beijing, March 26: India and China have made further progress on the modalities to resume Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said following the official consultation between Foreign Ministries of India and China, held in Bejing on Wednesday.
Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia) at the MEA held a consultative meeting with Liu Jinsong, Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during which the two sides reviewed the action taken by them to implement the strategic direction as also the specific steps agreed in the meeting between Foreign Secretary and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister in January 2025 to stabilise and rebuild ties.
“They took positive note of the developments in bilateral relations since the meeting of the leaders of India and China in October 2024. In the intervening period, the Foreign Ministers have met twice, while the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question have held their 23rd meeting. These high-level meetings have provided strategic guidance to stabilise and further develop relations,” read a statement issued by the MEA.
“They agreed to continue efforts to further facilitate and promote people-to-people exchanges, including arrangements for resumption of direct flights, interaction of media and think-tanks, and celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The two sides have made further progress on the modalities to resume Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in 2025,” it added.
The MEA stated that both sides also took stock of the planned exchanges and activities this year, discussing resumption of dialogue mechanisms in a step-by-step manner to utilise them to address each other’s priority areas of interest and concern and move relations on to a more stable and predictable path.
On Tuesday, India and China had comprehensively reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas and early resumption of cross-border cooperation – including on trans-border rivers and Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra – during the 33rd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held in Beijing.
While Das led the Indian delegation at the meeting, Hong Liang, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed the Chinese delegation. The meeting, the MEA said, was held in a “positive” and “constructive” atmosphere.
“Peace and tranquility on the border are critical for the smooth development of overall bilateral relations. The two sides explored various measures and proposals to give effect to the decisions taken during the 23rd meeting of the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question in Beijing in December 2024 and to advance effective border management,” read a MEA statement issued after the meeting.
“The two sides agreed to maintain and strengthen relevant diplomatic and military mechanisms towards this end. They also exchanged views on early resumption of cross-border cooperation and exchanges, including on trans-border rivers and Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra,” it added.
During the meeting, both countries agreed to work together to make substantial preparation for the next meeting of the Special Representatives (SR), which will be held in India later this year. The Indian delegation leader also paid a courtesy call on China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had visited Beijing on January 26-27 for a meeting of the Foreign Secretary-Vice Foreign Minister mechanism between both countries, following which both countries announced their decision to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025.
The meeting was held to review the state of India-China bilateral relations, as agreed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting in Kazan, last October.
During their discussions, Foreign Secretary Misri and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong agreed to take certain people-centric steps to stabilise and rebuild ties. Both sides also agreed, in principle, to resume direct air services between the two countries with the relevant technical authorities on the two sides to negotiate an updated framework for the purpose at an early date.
IANS