New Delhi [India], February 21 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart FM Wang Yi on Friday on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 meeting in South African capital city Johannesburg and reviewed developments in bilateral ties with a focus on direct flights and the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1892868263333286037

Jaishanker took to his social media platform X to post about the meeting., 'The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Johannesburg provided an opportunity to meet CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi of China this morning on its sidelines.'

Separately addressing a weekly media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 'The two ministers reviewed developments in the bilateral relationship since their last meeting in November, specifically the management of peace and tranquility in border areas.'

The management of peace and tranquility in border areas, the Kailash Mansarovar yatra, resumption of direct flight connectivity, and travel facilitation were discussed during the meeting.

There was also an exchange of views on G20 and the Shangai Cooperation Organization, the MEA spokesperson said.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had visited Beijing on January 26-27 this year for a meeting of the Foreign Secretary-Vice Foreign Minister mechanism between India and China on January 27.

A statement by MEA said that '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 two sides decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025; the relevant mechanism will discuss the modalities for doing so as per existing agreements.

India organizes the KMY annually between June and September through the Lipulekh Pass (since 1981) in Uttarakhand and the Nathu La Pass (since 2015) in Sikkim.

Before the flights were suspended due to the pandemic and the Galwan clash in 2020, the two countries had 539 direct flights per month, with a total seat capacity of over 1.25 lakh.

Another significant announcement after the meeting of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Beijing in January this year was that the resumption of direct air services will take place between the two countries, with relevant technical authorities on the two sides meeting and negotiating an updated framework for this purpose at an early date, the MEA said.

As 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China, the two sides noted that it should be utilized to redouble public diplomacy efforts to create better awareness about each other and restore mutual trust and confidence among the public. The two sides have also said they will conduct a number of commemorative activities to mark this anniversary.

Today's meeting between Jaishankar and Wang comes after the two met on G20 November 18, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. (ANI)