NEW DELHI: In a significant step towards rebuilding people-to-people connections and thawing frosty bilateral ties, India has announced the resumption of tourist visas for Chinese nationals, starting July 24.
This major development was quietly unveiled through a post by the Indian Embassy in Beijing on the Chinese social media platform WeChat. The embassy informed that Chinese citizens can now apply online for Indian tourist visas and book appointments to submit necessary documents at designated visa centers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
Though there has been no formal statement from New Delhi, officials familiar with the process confirmed that visa issuance is set to begin, marking a major policy shift after a prolonged freeze caused by border tensions.
The move comes after a series of diplomatic engagements and follows the agreement between India and China in April 2025 to restart the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which had been suspended since 2019. That breakthrough was widely interpreted as a symbolic reset in the relationship, strained deeply since the deadly Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, where 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers were killed.
Tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) had led India to impose broad visa restrictions on Chinese nationals in mid-2020. The current revival of visa services indicates gradual progress following multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks.
Signs of improving ties emerged after an October 2024 disengagement agreement at key border points, followed by a landmark meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia. That meeting revived key diplomatic channels aimed at restoring confidence and stabilizing the relationship.
Further, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently visited China on July 14, his first since the standoff began. On the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting, Jaishankar met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, where both sides committed to enhanced cooperation and open dialogue.
“We must build on the progress so far and take practical steps to make travel and exchanges easier,” Jaishankar emphasized during the talks.
Apart from visa resumption, both sides are exploring ways to expand direct flight connectivity, ease trade frictions, and open up educational and cultural exchanges.
However, India remains cautious over China’s export restrictions, especially in critical sectors like rare earth minerals and fertilizers, which have significant implications for India’s EV and agriculture industries. These concerns have been raised diplomatically, signaling that while people-to-people exchanges are resuming, economic frictions remain unresolved.
With tourist visas back on track and pilgrimage routes reopening, it’s clear that India and China are treading carefully but surely towards renewed engagement. While deep mistrust lingers, especially over territorial and trade issues, the latest move is a hopeful signal — that diplomacy and dialogue are gradually replacing decades of deadlock.
