New Delhi: India and China have agreed to begin delimiting less contentious stretches of their boundary to pave the way for permanent demarcation of the border, reopen border trade through Lipulekh Pass, Shipki La and Nathu La, and resume direct flights.

At the 24th round of special representative-level talks in New Delhi, national security adviser Ajit Doval said India-China border has been “quiet” and there has been an “upward trend” in bilateral ties at the 24th round of special representative-level talks between the two countries.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi is in New Delhi for the 24th round of border talks with Doval and held a meeting with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, days before Modi travels to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

PM Modi said that India-China relations have made “steady progress” and stressed that stable and constructive ties between the two neighbours would contribute to regional and global peace.

Wang said, “The stable and healthy development of China-India relations is in the fundamental interests of the two countries' people,” according to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry.

Both sides agreed to the reopening of border trade through the three designated trading points — Lipulekh Pass, Shipki La and Nathu La. The two countries hoped to resume direct flights at the earliest.

Sources said during the talks, both sides were expected to deliberate on new confidence-building measures besides reviewing the overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The ministry of external affairs also said the talks with China covered de-escalation, delimitation and broader boundary issues, and stressed that India underlined the need for utmost transparency regarding the dam project.

Wang’s two-day visit is seen as a step in repairing ties strained since the 2020 border clash, with both governments signalling willingness to pursue dialogue and cooperation in key sectors.