The world’s two most populous countries—once at war, and even at odds over where the borders between their two nations lay—are drawing closer. In the ongoing improvement of relations between China and India, a new development has arisen. bbc reports:

China and India have opened a historic trade route that had been closed for nearly half a century. The Himalayan pass of Nathu La … was once part of the ancient Silk Road and saw clashes between the sides in the 1960s. … [It] opened just a few days after the first train service was launched from eastern China to Tibet. The pass was given a festive look with Chinese and Indian flags fluttering and military bands playing.

Analysts predict that this development will not only improve the regional economy, but also that it will help a more substantial relationship to blossom between the two giants of the Orient. Some say the opened route could generate millions of dollars in trade eventually, but that the political benefits are more immediate:

“This resumption of border trade is more significant for Indian diplomacy, not for trade,” says Jayantanuja Bandopadhyay, professor of international relations in Calcutta’s Jadavpur University. Sikkim is a former Buddhist kingdom that merged with India in 1975, a move that was opposed by China which lay claim to the state. “By allowing trade through Nathu La, China has accepted Sikkim as part of India that it refused to do earlier,” Mr. Bandopadhyay says.

The Trumpet has long forecast that relations between China and its neighbors will improve. Biblical prophecy tells us that Asia will align both politically and militarily; in fact, it shows that this region will form the most powerful army in history—an astounding 200 million soldiers (Revelation 9:16). With India and China each having more than a billion residents, clearly both countries could contribute heartily to this largest army ever.

To learn about this scriptural forecast and to study where Asia is headed, please request our free booklet Russia and China in Prophecy.