India to resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens after 5 years

India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens from July 24 this year, its embassy in China said on Wednesday, the first time in five years.

The development comes at a time when both countries are trying to ease tensions and improve ties that plummeted following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.

India and China had agreed in principle earlier this year to resume direct air services between the two countries.


The two sides had also decided to resume Kailash Mansarovar yatra this summer. The relevant mechanism will discuss modalities for doing so as per existing pacts, officials had said.

The direct air services and Kailash Mansarovar yatra were suspended since the Covid pandemic and Galwan crisis.

As agreed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan in October, the two sides reviewed India-China bilateral ties comprehensively and agreed to take people-centric steps to stabilise and rebuild ties, according to an MEA readout. Senior officials of India and China agreed to hold an early meeting of the expert-level mechanism to discuss resumption of provision of hydrological data and other cooperation relating to trans-border rivers.

The two sides recognised that 2025, being the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China, should be utilised to redouble diplomacy efforts to create better awareness about each other and restore mutual trust and confidence among the public.

In addition to this, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited China this month, his first trip to the neighbouring country in five years.

The 2020 Galwan Valley standoff between India and China was the worst border clash in over 40 years, resulting in the death of soldiers on both sides. The incident sharply escalated tensions and brought bilateral ties to a historic low.

Stronger ties

China in March sought to further stabilise ties with India, with its foreign minister Wang Yi stating that Beijing's relations with New Delhi had made positive strides in the past year.

Wang emphasised that it is in the best interest of both nations to work together. "Both sides have earnestly followed through on the important common understandings of our leaders, strengthened exchanges and practical cooperation at all levels, and achieved a series of positive outcomes. China and India are each other's largest neighbours. China always believes that the two should be partners that contribute to each other's success. A cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant is the only right choice for both sides," said Wang, also a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Politburo.

Rare earths issue

Even as diplomatic talks continue, China's recent trade actions have raised eyebrows in New Delhi. In recent weeks, China has either delayed or stopped key exports to India, including rare earth magnets, fertilisers, and tunnel boring machines meant for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

Adding fuel to the fire, China's covert and overt support to Pakistan, particularly during the clashes in May this year, remains a sticking point. These thorny issues threaten to overshadow any constructive dialogue at the SCO meeting.