Delhi-Guangzhou flights to resume, says Chinese airline before Modi-Xi meet

China Southern Airlines said on Saturday that it will resume regular passenger flights on the Guangzhou-New Delhi route starting September 21. The announcement came ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit.

With the relaunch, China Southern will be relaunching its services after a six-year hiatus. Flights had been suspended following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The restart will bring the carrier's total operations across eight round-trip routes in South Asia to over 100 flights per week, as per Global Times.

Currently, Air India and IndiGo operate flights to China from India. From China, Air China and China Eastern Airlines had been operating flights. Now, China Southern will restart its weekly flights. Xi will land in Delhi on Saturday and head for the BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam.

He will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders are expected to discuss a host of topics, including border issues, trade and economic ties, travel & tourism coordination between Indian and China, and regional security.

During the summit, President Xi is expected to present new initiatives focusing on Global South collaboration, expanding on proposals he previously introduced at the SCO Summit in Bishkek. Joining President Xi's delegation are Cai Qi, Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Trade and business ties have improved since Galwan 2020 border tensions. Approval of business visas for Chinese professionals ​and the easing of curbs on Chinese equipment purchase in India have majorly contributed to this.

According to India, more than 100 Chinese products are deemed critical to Indian factories. However, ‌both nations maintain heavy military deployment along the borders in Ladakh and Arunachal. Also, visa bottlenecks for procurement of other Chinese equipment and components in electronics sector development remain.

China's role in India's military conflict last ⁠year with arch-rival Pakistan has also complicated ties. Although Beijing was not directly involved, Pakistan relied heavily on Chinese-made fighter jets and missiles during the four-day fighting.