The last Air China flight from Beijing touched down in Delhi on March 15, 2022. Four years, no direct service. This week, that changed.
Air China resumed the Beijing-Delhi route on March 21 — a service that had run uninterrupted since 2008 before the Galwan Valley clash and COVID froze it. The Chinese Embassy didn’t underplay it. Spokesperson Yu Jing called it “more than just travel” — framing it as “Trade, Tourism, Trust.” Scheduled operations begin April 21.
But here’s the part the celebratory language skips: the border dispute that triggered the freeze hasn’t been resolved.
The Sequencing Tells the Story
This isn’t a sudden thaw. It’s a staged, reversible defrost — and each step has been calibrated.
First, India reopened visas for Chinese nationals in November 2025, ending a five-year suspension. Then airlines started trickling back: Kolkata-Guangzhou in October 2025, Shanghai-Delhi via China Eastern in November, Air India’s Delhi-Shanghai in February 2026. IndiGo launches daily Kolkata-Shanghai flights on March 29.
Then came the money. On March 10, India eased FDI rules — Chinese companies can now acquire up to 10% stake in Indian businesses without government clearance. Manufacturing sectors like electronics and solar stand to benefit. Strategic sectors remain walled off.
Visas, then flights, then investment access. Each step is individually reversible if tensions flare again. That’s not a reset — it’s risk management with an exit door.
What Actually Changed — and What Didn’t
The June 2020 Galwan clash killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops. It was the deadliest border confrontation in 45 years. Troops remain deployed. Strategic competition continues. PM Modi visited China in August 2025 for the first time in seven years — at an SCO summit, not a bilateral invite.
What changed is economic pragmatism. India needs manufacturing investment. China needs market access. Both need BRICS cooperation in a fractured global order. The flights are a symptom of that calculus, not evidence that the underlying problem is solved.
For business travellers, the direct route means no more routing through Singapore or Dubai. For companies eyeing joint ventures, the FDI easing opens a narrow window — but this comes as India’s net FDI has been negative for six months, more money leaving than arriving. For everyone else, this is worth watching — but not worth mistaking for peace. The planes are flying. The border troops haven’t moved.