Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi will likely travel to New Delhi on August 18 — his first trip to India in over three years — and is expected to meet national security adviser Ajit Doval and external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

The trip marks the latest step in a slow but steady thaw between the Asian neighbours, who are also holding talks to restart border trade and plan to resume direct flights as early as next month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit China in August — his first in seven years.

China’s ministry of foreign affairs said Beijing stands ready to work with New Delhi to "properly handle differences in the face of the big picture”. It makes sense for the two sides to build closer ties as they are “major developing countries and important members of the Global South,” it said.

A spokesperson from the MEA said, “We have remained engaged with the Chinese side to facilitate the resumption of border trade through all the designated trade points- namely Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, Shipki La Pass in Himachal Pradesh, and Nathu La Pass in Sikkim. If there are any updates, we will keep you informed.”