Kailash Mansarovar Yatra To Resume As India, China Seek To Rebuild Relations

New Delhi: In a move to strengthen bilateral relations, India and China have agreed to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra soon. The popular Hindu pilgrimage is expected to resume in the summer of 2025. The decision to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra came up in the backdrop of the Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri's visit to China, where he held talks with his Chinese counterpart Sun Weidong in Beijing.

Following the latest development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the two sides comprehensively reviewed the state of India-China bilateral relations and agreed to take people-centric steps to "stabilise and rebuild" ties. This development is in line with the agreement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping during their meeting in Kazan in October.

It said the two sides also agreed in principle to resume direct air services between the two countries.

The Ministry of External Affairs stated, "As agreed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at their meeting in Kazan in October, the two sides reviewed the state of India-China bilateral relations comprehensively and agreed to take certain people-centric steps to stabilize and rebuild ties."

The MEA also said, "In this context, the two sides decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025."

The MEA further added that the two sides also agreed to hold an early meeting of the India-China expert level mechanism to discuss the resumption of the provision of hydrological data and other cooperation pertaining to trans-border rivers.

It said the two sides agreed to take appropriate measures to further promote and facilitate people-to-people exchanges, including media and think-tank interactions.

"They agreed in principle to resume direct air services between the two countries; the relevant technical authorities on the two sides will meet and negotiate an updated framework for this purpose at an early date," the MEA said.

The resumption of the yatra is seen as a big step in this direction. The yatra, which involves a visit to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in Tibet, has been suspended since the Covid outbreak of 2020.

Post-Covid, there was no renewal of arrangements by the Chinese side amid prickly relations between Beijing and New Delhi. The situation escalated after the Galwan clash.

The meeting also agreed in principle to resume direct air services between the two countries; the relevant technical authorities on the two sides will meet and negotiate an updated framework for this purpose at an early date.

During his visit, the Foreign Secretary called on Members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Director of the Office of Central Commission of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and the Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Liu Jianchao, the ministry said.