India and China are preparing to resume direct flight connections as early as next month, marking the end of a five-year hiatus that began during the COVID-19 pandemic and was compounded by border tensions. Indian airlines have been instructed to prepare for flights to China by the winter season, with a formal announcement expected during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in late August. The resumption of flights is part of broader efforts to reset political and trade relations between the two most populous countries, whose combined population exceeds 2.8 billion. This diplomatic thaw is also reflected in China lifting curbs on urea exports to India, allowing shipments of up to 300,000 tons. Chinese officials have emphasized that resuming direct flights will facilitate cross-border travel, exchanges, and cooperation. The move comes amid escalating U.S.-India trade frictions and signals a strategic shift in Asia's trade dynamics.