China and India have agreed to resume direct commercial flights, in the latest sign of an easing of tensions between the world’s two most populous countries.

India and China have agreed to resume direct air services after nearly five years and work on resolving differences over trade and economic issues, New Delhi said, as relations continue to thaw after a deadly 2020 border clash.

It was the latest thaw in relations between the two countries, whose troops were involved in deadly skirmishes high in the Himalayas in 2020.

China and India have agreed to resume direct flights between the Chinese mainland and the South Asia nation, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry. The decision was made during the China-India vice-foreign minister/foreign secretary-level dialogue held on Monday in Beijing between Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and his Indian counterpart Vikram Misri.

China and India have agreed to resume direct flights, facilitate visas and restart sharing data of trans-border rivers as the nuclear-armed neighbors try to rebuild diplomatic ties that remained frosty for more than four years.

India and China have agreed to resume direct air services after nearly five years, India's foreign ministry said on Monday, signalling a thaw in relations between the neighbours after a deadly 2020 military clash on their disputed Himalayan border.