India has expanded the resumption of tourist visas for Chinese nationals, allowing them to apply through Indian embassies and consulates worldwide. This marks another step in the gradual normalisation of bilateral relations after the prolonged military stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
According to a report by the Hindustan Times, tourist visas for Chinese citizens were first reinstated in July, but only through India’s missions in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. The broader global reopening, implemented quietly earlier this week, comes after visas were suspended in 2020 following the LAC standoff and the deadly Galwan Valley clash, which claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops, sending ties to their lowest point in six decades.
According to people familiar with the development, India and China have recently agreed on several “people-centric steps” aimed at stabilising relations. Direct flights, halted since early 2020, resumed in October. Both sides have also agreed to revive the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra to sacred sites in Tibet this summer, improve visa facilitation across multiple traveller categories, and commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Activities marking the anniversary have already been hosted at embassies and consulates in both countries.
“These steps are aimed at facilitating people-to-people exchanges as guided by the leaders of the two countries,” one of the people cited said, as per the report.
Momentum for normalisation increased after India and China reached an understanding on disengaging frontline forces along the LAC in October 2024. This breakthrough was followed by a meeting in Kazan between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, during which they agreed to revive several bilateral mechanisms to address longstanding issues, including the border dispute.
Since then, the foreign and defence ministers, national security advisers, and the Special Representatives for the boundary question, including India’s NSA Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, have held multiple rounds of talks. These engagements have produced agreements to resume cooperation in areas ranging from border trade to economic matters. China has also begun addressing India’s trade-related concerns, including restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals.
Together, these coordinated measures signal a cautious but steady rebuilding of one of Asia’s most consequential relationships
