New Delhi [India], November 22 (HBTV): In a significant step towards normalising bilateral ties, India is learnt to have resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens worldwide, ending a five-year suspension imposed following the 2020 Galwan clash.
The move comes after a series of developments earlier this year, including the January 2025 agreement between India and China to resume direct passenger flights. Officials privy to the matter said the decision followed an order issued in July this year recommending the restoration of tourist visas for Chinese nationals.
A month ago, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which had been halted for five years, was also revived in June 2025, with the first batch of Indian pilgrims crossing into Tibet.
On April 1, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations, Presidents Xi Jinping and Droupadi Murmu, along with Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, exchanged congratulatory messages, signalling renewed commitment to stability.
Diplomacy between the two countries intensified through 2025. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Beijing in July, noting that relations were ‘gradually moving in a positive direction’ with a ‘fundamental basis for mutual strategic trust’. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later visited New Delhi in August for discussions with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and the External Affairs Minister on border de-escalation and normalisation.
These engagements paved the way for Prime Minister Modi’s landmark visit to China on August 31 for the SCO Summit in Tianjin—his first trip to the country in seven years—where he and President Xi agreed to view each other as ‘partners rather than rivals’.
On November 10, Consul General of India in Shanghai, Pratik Mathur, welcomed the first batch of passengers arriving from New Delhi as direct commercial flights between India and China officially resumed after five years. In a post on X, India in Shanghai wrote: ‘Fair Winds & Clear skies! India emerges as a Global Hub as people-to-people ties grow stronger. CG @PratikMathur1 was at hand to receive the first set of passengers as direct flights resumed between New Delhi and Shanghai.’ (ANI)