New Delhi, Jan. 29 -- It has been said that it takes only a minute to rupture ties, but needs years to repair them. The recent meeting between career diplomats from India and China achieved some progress in normalizing relations between the two powerful Asian neighbours, riven by festering border disputes and uneven trade balances. It was the latest in a series of engagements following the October meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping after a gap of almost five years. The two nations agreed to resume people-to-people exchanges as a step towards dispelling mistrust on both sides of the 3,500km border.

Two developments hold special significance. The first is a resumption of direct flights, once relevant auth...