India has reopened tourist visas for Chinese nationals applying through its embassies and consulates worldwide, marking another significant step in efforts to restore normalcy in India–China relations after a tense and prolonged military confrontation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), reported Hindustan Times.
The decision, implemented earlier this week without any public announcement, comes four months after New Delhi first resumed limited visa services for Chinese visitors in July. Tourist visas were originally suspended in 2020 following the deadly clashes in the Galwan Valley, which left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops dead, plunging bilateral ties to their lowest point in decades.
Direct flights resume, Kailash Manasarovar Yatra on cards
According to the report, quoting people familiar with the matter, both countries have recently agreed on several “people-centric steps” to stabilise relations. One major development has been the resumption of direct flights in October after a three-year hiatus triggered by the pandemic and border tensions.
In addition, an agreement to restart the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra to sacred Tibetan sites next summer is being seen as a symbolic gesture, particularly for Indian pilgrims. Visa support for a wider range of travellers and commemorations of 75 years of diplomatic relations have also formed part of this thaw.
Tourist visas for Chinese nationals were initially restored in Beijing and the consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong earlier this year. Events marking the diplomatic anniversary have since been observed in missions on both sides, underscoring a renewed push for people-to-people engagement “as guided by the leaders of the two countries”, one of the people said.
Diplomatic momentum builds after disengagement deal
Ties have steadily improved since frontline troops reached a disengagement understanding along the LAC in October 2024. A subsequent meeting in Kazan between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping further accelerated reconciliation efforts, with both leaders agreeing to revive key communication mechanisms stalled during the border standoff.
Since then, India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval and China’s foreign minister Wang Yi — serving as Special Representatives on the boundary dispute, have held multiple rounds of discussions. Separate engagements between both sides’ foreign and defence ministers have also contributed to fresh cooperation across areas including border trade and economic matters.
Beijing has even moved to address New Delhi’s concerns over trade imbalances by easing certain export restrictions on rare earth minerals, signalling a willingness to reduce longstanding friction.
