The first batch of passengers taking the resumed China-India direct flight after a five-year hiatus check in their luggage and prepare to depart for Guangzhou on October 26, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Indigo

News of Air China resuming direct flight route between Beijing and New Delhi quickly drew significant attention from major Indian media outlets, following a post on X on Saturday by Yu Jing, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India, who hailed the move as a "big green light" for cooperation.

The attention given to the resumption of this important flight route indicates a positive response from Indian public opinion toward improving economic relations with China - a valuable signal worth cherishing.

The interest of Indian media outlets in the direct flight route to China is built upon a foundation of consistently positive signals and a steady recovery in bilateral relations in recent months. Since direct flights resumed between China and India in October last year, Beijing is the latest Chinese city - after Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Kunming - to restore the direct flight route to India. 

The increase in flight routes means more convenient personnel exchanges, lower business costs, and broader channels for cultural exchanges. More importantly, the signal released by the resumptions will guide businesses of both countries to re-evaluate each other's markets, activate business plans, and promote bilateral cooperation projects.

Recent positive interactions between China and India have driven the steady improvement of bilateral relations, elevating them from "a reset and fresh start" to a new level of improvement. Interactions at all levels have grown more frequent, economic and trade cooperation has reached new heights, and, people-to-people exchanges have become increasingly active. 

These mutual efforts have laid a solid foundation for stabilizing and revitalizing the bilateral relationship. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted at a press conference on March 8 that mutual trust and cooperation are beneficial to the development of China and India, while division and confrontation are detrimental to the rejuvenation of Asia, according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency. 

What is noteworthy is that the Indian media sector's focus on the flight resumption reflects a growing rational voice within the country - one that favors improving relations with China and creating more development opportunities. For a long time, there have been diverse voices in Indian public opinion on China-related issues, including pragmatic considerations based on practical interests and strategic anxieties affected by external factors. 

However, the collective coverage of Air China's flight resumption indicates that positive expectations for better bilateral ties are gaining broader traction. It somehow marks a recalibration in the assessment of the value of cooperation. 

Amid rising protectionism and global geopolitical uncertainties, maintaining a stable economic relationship with China holds undeniable, practical significance for India's pursuit of its developmental ambitions.

Economic and trade cooperation has always served as the anchor of China-India relations. Although bilateral trade has experienced twists and turns in the past few years, the complementarity of the two countries' economic structures has not weakened. In 2025, bilateral trade reached a record high of $155.6 billion, marking a year-on-year rise of over 12 percent.

The resumption of direct flights is only a starting point. For China-India economic and trade to truly embark on a path of sustained upward development, more good news is needed, such as more flight routes, more visa facilitation measures, more relaxation on investment rules, and the deepening of industrial and supply chain collaboration. Each effort will benefit bilateral relations and accumulate assets for mutual trust. The continuous accumulation of these developments will form a positive cycle, consolidating the current upward momentum into a more stable and resilient norm.

The stability and development of China-India relations carry great significance that extends beyond the bilateral scope. Joint cooperation between the two countries is not only a strong pillar supporting Asia's rejuvenation but also a positive contribution to a multipolar world. When both sides control differences and expand cooperation in a mature and rational manner, it will serve the interests of both peoples and benefit the broader region.
 
In this sense, the resumption of the Beijing-New Delhi air route is more than a logistical convenience - it is a modest yet meaningful step forward, a reminder that the path to a more stable and mutually beneficial future is paved with such concrete, positive steps.