New Delhi: India has expanded tourist visa access for Chinese citizens across all its diplomatic missions and consulates globally, marking another step toward normalizing relations following years of military tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The expansion arrives four months after India initially reinstated tourist visas for Chinese nationals in July. Visa services for Chinese citizens had been halted following the military standoff that erupted on the LAC in April-May 2020. The armed confrontation, culminating in a deadly clash in Galwan Valley that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops, plunged bilateral relations to their lowest point in six decades.
According to sources familiar with the development, Indian embassies and consulates worldwide began processing tourist visas for Chinese nationals earlier this week. Authorities have not issued an official statement about the policy change.
Both nations have implemented several “people-centric measures” in recent months to stabilize and restore diplomatic ties, according to officials speaking on condition of anonymity. They highlighted that direct air connectivity between the two countries, suspended since early 2020, recommenced in October.
Additional normalization efforts include plans to restart the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra pilgrimage to holy sites in Tibet during summer, streamlined visa procedures for different traveler categories, and celebrations marking 75 years of diplomatic relations.
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Previously, India had restarted tourist visa processing for Chinese citizens in July, allowing applications through the Indian embassy in Beijing and consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.
Both countries held commemorative events at their respective embassies and consulates to mark the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations.
These initiatives aim to promote people-to-people contact “as directed by the leadership of both nations,” one official stated.
India and China achieved a breakthrough on troop disengagement along the LAC in October 2024, followed by talks in Kazan, Russia, between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping. The leaders committed to revitalizing various mechanisms for normalizing bilateral relations and resolving the protracted border dispute.
Subsequently, multiple high-level engagements have occurred between the countries’ foreign ministers, defense ministers, national security advisers, and Special Representatives on the border issue NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
These diplomatic exchanges have produced agreements to restart collaboration across multiple sectors, from border commerce to economic matters. China has also taken measures to address India’s trade concerns, including lifting export restrictions on rare earth minerals.
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