India to resume tourist visas for Chinese citizens as bilateral ties show signs of thaw

 India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens starting July 24, marking the first time in five years that such visas will be granted.

The Indian Embassy in China made the announcement on Wednesday, signaling a cautious but notable effort by both nations to mend strained ties.

Relations between the two Asian giants deteriorated sharply after a deadly military confrontation along their disputed Himalayan border in 2020. In the aftermath, India curbed Chinese investments, banned several hundred Chinese mobile applications, and halted most passenger travel between the two countries.

While China had suspended visa issuance to Indian and other foreign nationals due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it gradually lifted those restrictions in 2022—resuming visas for students and business travelers.

However, tourist visas for Indian nationals remained suspended until March 2025, when both countries agreed to restart direct flight services.

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The latest move comes as part of a broader effort to normalize ties. Several high-level engagements have taken place over the past year, including a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a summit in Russia last October.

Reacting to India’s decision, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun welcomed the development.

“China is ready to maintain communication and consultation with India and continually enhance people-to-people exchanges,” he stated.

India and China share a 3,800-kilometre border that has remained a point of contention since the 1950s. Despite decades of negotiations and several military stand-offs—including the 1962 war—a final resolution to the territorial dispute has yet to be achieved.