Sudheendra Kulkarni, founder and chairman of the Forum for a New South Asia, said the resumption of direct flights between India and the Chinese mainland is a good step, but it is a very small step. Kulkarni, who served as an aide during former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s time in office, said there is potential for more in an interview with China Daily. He said that China and India are two neighbors with populations of 1.4 billion each and both growing very fast, which means there is scope for not just a handful of direct flights. Instead, there should be 100 direct flights from 20 different cities in India and China, according to Kulkarni. He also strongly advocated that India and China should have more contact, including flights and student exchanges.