India Resumes Visas for Chinese Citizens After Five-Year

After five years, the Indian government is resuming tourist visas for Chinese citizens. The Indian embassy in Beijing has announced this, and the process will begin on July 24. In 2020, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, India had halted all types of tourist visas. Now, for the first time, India's doors are opening to Chinese tourists. According to the embassy's statement, Chinese citizens must first fill out an online application, then schedule a time to personally present their passport and necessary documents at Indian visa centers in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou.

The statement also noted that a written letter is mandatory when requesting the withdrawal of a passport at the center in Beijing. In recent years, there have been many restrictions on travel between India and China. Initially due to the coronavirus and later due to the military conflict in the Galwan Valley, tensions between the two countries increased. After some time, China allowed Indian students and professionals to return, but restrictions on general travel remained.

After the Galwan conflict, diplomatic and military-level dialogues were initiated to restore the broken thread of trust between the two countries. This led to the decision to withdraw troops from some tense areas along the LAC. By the end of 2024, both countries decided to compromise and withdraw troops from the remaining two conflict areas, Depsang and Demchok. Subsequently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met in Kazan, where some important decisions were made to improve relations.

As India-China relations move forward towards improvement this year, both countries have focused on resuming direct air services, restarting the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, and planning various initiatives to increase mutual contact among people. This pilgrimage had been halted since 2020.