First batch of Kailash Mansarovar yatris reach Tibet; New Delhi-Beijing exchanges expected to lead to resumption of direct flights and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to China for the SCO Summit in August, say officials.
India and China are set for their most intense week of engagement since the military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and Operation Sindoor last month, as National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh travel to China for meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), officials confirmed.
Their visits will coincide with the arrival of the first batch of pilgrims from India to Tibet, who will reach Mount Kailash and the Mansarovar Lake on Tuesday, for the first time in six years. The resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is expected to be followed up by the resumption of direct flights between the two countries in the next few months, said official sources, adding that airlines are now “preparing” for flights as they await a formal notification from the Civil Aviation Ministry.
Mr. Doval arrived in Beijing on Monday and met with Foreign Minister and Special Representative on border talks Wang Yi.
A statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Mr. Wang told Mr. Doval there had been “some positive progress” in ties, and the “two sides need to further strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, and work hard to solve practical problems”.
“NSA (Doval) also emphasized the need to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations to maintain overall peace and stability in the region,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement, adding that he invited Mr. Wang to New Delhi to discuss the resolution of the border dispute as part of the SR process.
During their visits, Mr. Doval, and Mr. Singh, who will be in Qingdao for the SCO meeting on June 26-27, are expected to stress the importance of fighting cross-border terrorism. The SCO Regional Anti-Terror Structure (RATS) mechanism is meant for cooperation on the issue, although given Pakistan and China’s presence in the grouping, the final communique may not contain specifics.
The meetings of senior Security and Defence Ministers of SCO countries will come just days after the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the U.S. and Israel, and the Ministers from 10 countries — Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus and four Central Asian states — are expected to discuss the impact of military escalation on trade, energy, and geopolitics in the region. India had disassociated itself from the SCO statement on June 14 that was critical of Israel, and the position taken by Mr. Doval and Mr. Singh in their meetings, especially on the latest U.S. strikes, will be watched closely by other members. In addition, Pakistan’s position has swung from nominating U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize to criticising the U.S. attacks. On Monday, Russia, China and non-permanent member Pakistan also co-sponsored a resolution at the UN Security Council, calling for an immediate de-escalation of the situation in West Asia.
The SCO meetings this week are expected to lead up to the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in July, which External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is expected to attend, and the SCO Summit at the end of August in Tianjin, hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to travel to Tianjin for the first such visit to China since the Galwan Clashes in June 2020 in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
Mr. Xi and Mr. Modi will likely meet first in early July at the BRICS Summit in Rio De Janeiro, after their talks at Kazan in October 2024 announced the decision to normalise ties. Mr. Modi will visit Brazil on July 6-8 for the BRICS Summit, followed by a state visit at the invitation of Brazil President Lula Da Silva, officials confirmed to The Hindu.
The resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra was agreed to during a visit by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to Beijing in January 2025 and followed up on June 12, when Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong visited New Delhi for talks. A total of 750 pilgrims have been selected through a computerised system of lots. They will undertake the three-week trek over the next two months in 15 batches, with five batches using routes via Uttarakhand and the Lipulekh Pass and 10 batches via Sikkim through the Nathu La Pass. On Monday, the first batch of 36 pilgrims reached Darchen for the culmination of the trek at Kailash Mansarovar, where they will spend four days acclimatizing to the altitude of 19,500 ft and trekking around the Kailash mountain before beginning their return journey on June 28.
In addition to the official and pilgrim invitations, the Chinese government has also invited a group of Indian journalists to cover the first two batches arriving this week. The pilgrimage, which began in 1981 under a bilateral agreement, was suspended by the Chinese government due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and was not resumed due to the Galwan killings and tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since then.
The External Affairs Ministry statement issued after the Sun-Misri talks was the first such statement since 2020 that made no reference to the LAC situation, the clearest indicator that New Delhi has decided to “move on” from the border tensions where after disengagement, the Indian Army and PLA were to complete a demobilisation and de-escalation process. They also discussed the resumption of other mechanisms that have been suspended or paused, including direct air services, exchange of hydrological information, a special dialogue on resolving economic and trade issues, and more visas and exchanges between media and think tanks.
Doval begins China visit for SCO meet, Rajnath to arrive this week
First batch of Kailash Mansarovar yatris reach Tibet; New Delhi-Beijing exchanges expected to lead to resumption of direct flights and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to China for the SCO Summit in August, say officials.
India and China are set for their most intense week of engagement since the military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and Operation Sindoor last month, as National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh travel to China for meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), officials confirmed.
Their visits will coincide with the arrival of the first batch of pilgrims from India to Tibet, who will reach Mount Kailash and the Mansarovar Lake on Tuesday, for the first time in six years. The resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is expected to be followed up by the resumption of direct flights between the two countries in the next few months, said official sources, adding that airlines are now “preparing” for flights as they await a formal notification from the Civil Aviation Ministry.
Mr. Doval arrived in Beijing on Monday and met with Foreign Minister and Special Representative on border talks Wang Yi.
A statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Mr. Wang told Mr. Doval there had been “some positive progress” in ties, and the “two sides need to further strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, and work hard to solve practical problems”.
“NSA (Doval) also emphasized the need to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations to maintain overall peace and stability in the region,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement, adding that he invited Mr. Wang to New Delhi to discuss the resolution of the border dispute as part of the SR process.
During their visits, Mr. Doval, and Mr. Singh, who will be in Qingdao for the SCO meeting on June 26-27, are expected to stress the importance of fighting cross-border terrorism. The SCO Regional Anti-Terror Structure (RATS) mechanism is meant for cooperation on the issue, although given Pakistan and China’s presence in the grouping, the final communique may not contain specifics.
The meetings of senior Security and Defence Ministers of SCO countries will come just days after the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities by the U.S. and Israel, and the Ministers from 10 countries — Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus and four Central Asian states — are expected to discuss the impact of military escalation on trade, energy, and geopolitics in the region. India had disassociated itself from the SCO statement on June 14 that was critical of Israel, and the position taken by Mr. Doval and Mr. Singh in their meetings, especially on the latest U.S. strikes, will be watched closely by other members. In addition, Pakistan’s position has swung from nominating U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize to criticising the U.S. attacks. On Monday, Russia, China and non-permanent member Pakistan also co-sponsored a resolution at the UN Security Council, calling for an immediate de-escalation of the situation in West Asia.
The SCO meetings this week are expected to lead up to the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in July, which External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is expected to attend, and the SCO Summit at the end of August in Tianjin, hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to travel to Tianjin for the first such visit to China since the Galwan Clashes in June 2020 in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
Mr. Xi and Mr. Modi will likely meet first in early July at the BRICS Summit in Rio De Janeiro, after their talks at Kazan in October 2024 announced the decision to normalise ties. Mr. Modi will visit Brazil on July 6-8 for the BRICS Summit, followed by a state visit at the invitation of Brazil President Lula Da Silva, officials confirmed to The Hindu.
The resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra was agreed to during a visit by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to Beijing in January 2025 and followed up on June 12, when Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong visited New Delhi for talks. A total of 750 pilgrims have been selected through a computerised system of lots. They will undertake the three-week trek over the next two months in 15 batches, with five batches using routes via Uttarakhand and the Lipulekh Pass and 10 batches via Sikkim through the Nathu La Pass. On Monday, the first batch of 36 pilgrims reached Darchen for the culmination of the trek at Kailash Mansarovar, where they will spend four days acclimatizing to the altitude of 19,500 ft and trekking around the Kailash mountain before beginning their return journey on June 28.
In addition to the official and pilgrim invitations, the Chinese government has also invited a group of Indian journalists to cover the first two batches arriving this week. The pilgrimage, which began in 1981 under a bilateral agreement, was suspended by the Chinese government due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and was not resumed due to the Galwan killings and tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since then.
The External Affairs Ministry statement issued after the Sun-Misri talks was the first such statement since 2020 that made no reference to the LAC situation, the clearest indicator that New Delhi has decided to “move on” from the border tensions where after disengagement, the Indian Army and PLA were to complete a demobilisation and de-escalation process. They also discussed the resumption of other mechanisms that have been suspended or paused, including direct air services, exchange of hydrological information, a special dialogue on resolving economic and trade issues, and more visas and exchanges between media and think tanks.
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