India will resume granting tourist visas to Chinese nationals from July 24, 2025, the Indian embassy in China stated on Wednesday. It is the first time in five years that tourist visas will be granted, a major move as the two nations seek to relieve tensions and boost bilateral relations that gravely deteriorated after the fatal Galwan Valley conflict in 2020.
The development has come against the backdrop of a string of mutually reinforcing measures to re-establish confidence-building and cooperation. India and China had already agreed in principle earlier this year to resume direct air services, which were halted owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and border confrontations. Moreover, the renewal of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage, which is a sacred pilgrimage for numerous Indian pilgrims, was also finalized for this summer, whose modalities are now being negotiated.
In a readout issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, during their meeting in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024, decided to implement people-centric measures for stabilization and rebuilding of relations. During this meeting, both the leaders reviewed India-China bilateral relations in detail and laid stress on restoring mutual trust.
Additional diplomatic actions include mutual consent between the top officials of both countries to have an early meeting of the expert-level mechanism to discuss resuming provision of hydrological data and other cooperation concerning trans-border rivers. Acknowledging 2025 as the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, both sides pledged to double up diplomacy efforts to create improved mutual understanding and public trust. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also went to China earlier this month, his first visit to the country’s neighboring nation in five years, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers meeting wherein he urged “continued normalisation” of relations.
The bilateral ties reached an all-time low following the June 2020 Galwan Valley clash that caused casualties on both sides and was the worst border skirmish in more than four decades.
China’s Drive for Closer Relations Amidst Complications
Notwithstanding the persistence of challenges, China has also wanted to stabilize relations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi declared, in March 2025, that Beijing’s ties with New Delhi have registered “positive strides” during the last year, stressing that cooperation is mutually beneficial to both countries. Wang reasserted China’s belief that the two countries should be “partners who contribute to each other’s success” and called a “cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant” the only right option.
But the issue of achieving a complete normalized relationship is not free from complications. Recent Chinese trade measures have caused concern in New Delhi, with news of slowing down or suspension of crucial exports to India, such as rare earth magnets, fertilizers, and even tunnel boring equipment necessary for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. In addition, China’s so-called “covert and overt support” for Pakistan in May border clashes remains a contentious issue, pending to mar constructive exchanges.
