India announced on Wednesday, through its embassy in China, that it will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens from July 24 this year. This marks the first time in five years that both countries are actively working to repair their often tumultuous relationship.
Tensions between the two nations significantly escalated following a military clash along their disputed Himalayan border in 2020. In response, India implemented stringent restrictions on Chinese investments, banned hundreds of popular Chinese applications, and severed passenger routes.
Around the same period, China had suspended visas for Indian citizens and other foreign nationals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these restrictions were lifted in 2022 when China recommenced issuing visas for students and business travelers. Tourist visas for Indian nationals remained restricted until March of this year, when both countries reached an agreement to resume direct air service.
Relations have shown gradual improvement, marked by several high-level meetings last year. These included discussions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Russia in October.
On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun acknowledged the positive development, stating that Beijing had taken note of the move. He affirmed, “China is ready to maintain communication and consultation with India and constantly improve the level of personal exchanges between the two countries.”
India and China share a 3,800-kilometer (2,400-mile) border that has been a source of dispute since the 1950s. The two countries engaged in a brief but intense border war in 1962, and negotiations to resolve the ongoing territorial dispute have progressed slowly.
In July, India’s foreign minister conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that for their relationship to normalize, both countries must resolve border friction, withdraw troops, and avoid “restrictive trade measures.”
