Last Updated:July 23, 2025, 15:46 IST

India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens from July 24, signaling a step toward normalising bilateral ties between the two countries.

India is set to resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens from July 24 this year, Reuters quoted the Indian Embassy in China as saying.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) called the development “positive” and said it would ease cross-border travel.

“We take note of India’s resumption of tourist visas for Chinese citizens. This is a positive move. Easing cross-border travel is widely beneficial. China will maintain communication and consultation with India to further facilitate travel between the two countries,” China’s MFA wrote in a post on X.

Earlier this year, it was reported that India and China had agreed in principle to resume direct flights, visa issuance, and the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for pilgrims.

This was the first step toward normalising relations that had been strained since the 2020 border clashes.

Following the announcement, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had visited Beijing for two days, signalling renewed diplomatic engagement between Asia’s two largest economies.

“As agreed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping at their meeting in Kazan in October, Foreign Secretary and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister HE Mr Sun Weidong reviewed the state of India-China bilateral relations comprehensively and agreed to take certain people-centric steps to stabilise and rebuild ties,” the Ministry of External Affairs had stated in a release.

“The two sides decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in the summer of 2025,” it added.

“They also agreed to hold an early meeting of the India-China Expert Level Mechanism to discuss the resumption of the provision of hydrological data and other cooperation pertaining to trans-border rivers,” the release in January had stated.

Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing and discussed the trajectory of India-China bilateral relations.

The interaction took place as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers’ call on the Chinese President.

During the talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, EAM Jaishankar emphasised a long-term approach to resolving bilateral issues.

“Incumbent on us to address aspects related to the border, normalising people-to-people exchanges and avoiding restrictive trade measures and roadblocks,” EAM Jaishankar posted on X after the meeting.

“Confident that on the foundation of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, ties can develop along a positive trajectory,” he mentioned.

INDIA-CHINA TENSIONS

The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, and a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in ties between the two neighbours.

In the last nine months, India and China have been engaged in normalising their relations after ending the military face-off along the LAC in October last year.

Though the two sides disengaged troops from the friction points, they have yet to de-escalate the situation by pulling back the frontline forces from the border.

Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the eastern Ladakh region.

Last year, Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached an important consensus at their meeting in Kazan, which pointed out the direction for the improvement and development of China-India relations.

The Modi-Xi meeting came two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok.

ALSO READ | US Senator Lindsey Graham’s ‘Russian Oil’ Warning To India, China: ‘Will Crush Your Economy’

Vani Mehrotra

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

view comments

First Published: