China Southern Airlines will resume regular passenger flights between Guangzhou and New Delhi from September 21, according to the Global Times. The airline said the resumption would take its total operations across eight round-trip routes in South Asia to more than 100 flights a week. The Guangzhou-New Delhi service had been suspended for six years.

India-China air services gradually restarted after being suspended during the pandemic and amid border tensions following the Doklam and Galwan standoffs. Air China resumed its Beijing-Delhi service in April, while China Eastern Airlines restarted direct flights between Kunming and Kolkata on April 18. Indian carrier IndiGo also launched a daily non-stop service between Kolkata and Shanghai on March 30. The airline had earlier restored flights from Kolkata to Guangzhou and later began operating from Delhi to the Chinese city.

The resumption of direct flights followed confirmation from India’s ministry of external affairs. Air links between the two countries had been suspended during the pandemic and amid tensions following the Doklam and Galwan standoffs. Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit India for the 18th Brics summit at Modi’s invitation. The Chinese president is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day.

Xi’s delegation includes Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and director of its General Office, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. According to Xinhua, Xi is expected to advance proposals on cooperation among Global South countries, building on his remarks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek. Brics has become a major platform for emerging economies to coordinate on trade, finance, technology, development and global governance. The grouping also seeks to promote greater cooperation among countries of the Global South.

The announcement followed the Ministry of External Affairs' (MEA) confirmation of the resumption of direct flights between India and China. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping is on his way to New Delhi for the 18th Brics Summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. President Xi will hold a bilateral meeting with PM Modi later on Saturday. Xi Jinping is visiting India for the first time after Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed at the Galwan Valley in 2020, souring relations for several months. India-China ties have since thawed, with the Chinese President meeting PM Modi in Kazan and Tianjin.

The Chinese President has already left Beijing, according to news agency Xinhua. He is expected to arrive in New Delhi at 12:25 IST. Xi's entourage includes Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese foreign minister. PM Modi and Xi's bilateral meeting is scheduled at 5:45 pm today.

What remains unknown is the exact impact of the resumption of flights on bilateral relations and the specific details of the proposed cooperation among Global South countries.