India Resumes Tourist Visas for Chinese Nationals After 5 Years

In a significant step towards normalising bilateral ties, India has resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals starting July 24, 2025, after a five-year hiatus. The announcement, made by the Indian Embassy in Beijing, marks a turning point in India-China relations that had deteriorated following the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the embassy, Chinese citizens can now apply online for Indian tourist visas. Once the application is submitted, an appointment must be scheduled at the Indian Embassy in Beijing or the Consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou, after which applicants must personally submit their passport and documents at designated Indian Visa Application Centres.

This move closely follows the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra on June 30, 2025, another symbolic confidence-building measure. The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is a sacred pilgrimage for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Bon followers to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, located in Tibet and traditionally accessed via India-China routes.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) called the decision a “positive move,” emphasizing that easing cross-border travel is widely beneficial. MFA spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that China would maintain dialogue with India to “further facilitate travel” between the two nations.

This development is part of a broader effort to rebuild diplomatic ties, particularly after border tensions and military stand-offs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Notably, the Galwan clashes in June 2020 had led to casualties on both sides and a complete freeze on tourist visas, as well as the cancellation of direct flights between the countries.

Although China resumed issuing visas to Indian students in 2022, and later extended them to business and tourism categories, India had withheld tourist visas for Chinese citizens—until now. In the first half of 2025 alone, China had issued an estimated 85,000 visas to Indian nationals, according to the Chinese Embassy in India.

Before the 2020 suspension, India had issued around 2 lakh (200,000) tourist visas to Chinese citizens in 2019, and 1.63 lakh (163,000) in 2018. In the same period, more than 3,00,000 Chinese tourists visited India, while over 8,69,000 Indian tourists visited China, reflecting strong people-to-people contact despite political tensions.

This visa resumption also comes shortly after a significant diplomatic exchange. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited China from July 14–16, meeting Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, as well as President Xi Jinping and Vice President Han Zheng, during the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting. Jaishankar reiterated that "differences should not become disputes" and emphasized that "competition should never become conflict".

A parallel development has been the 34th Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination (WMCC) meeting on border affairs, held in New Delhi. This bilateral framework involves regular diplomatic and military dialogue to manage tensions at the LAC.

In parallel, India and China are also working on resuming direct flights, which have remained suspended since the pandemic. Officials suggest that a formal announcement may be made before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China for the SCO Summit, expected to take place between August 31 and September 1, 2025.

However, while diplomatic progress continues, tensions persist over China's construction of the Medog Hydropower Project on the Yarlung Tsangpo (known as the Brahmaputra River in India and Bangladesh). This massive 60,000 MW hydropower station, launched by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, is set to become the world’s largest. India and Bangladesh have expressed concerns about potential ecological damage and disaster risks downstream. In response, China reaffirmed that the project is “fully within China’s sovereignty” and claimed it is engaged in cooperation with downstream countries for hydrological data sharing, flood control, and disaster reduction. India had previously registered its concerns in Parliament in December 2024, while Bangladesh raised issues in March 2025 through its Ministry of Water Resources.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, commented that resuming the Kailash Yatra was a significant gesture to improve ties, suggesting it was now India's turn to reciprocate. He later posted on X that China had already welcomed more than 85,000 Indian travelers this year and invited “more Indian friends to visit an open, safe, and friendly China.”

Despite progress, unresolved issues remain. An estimated 50,000–60,000 troops from both sides are still stationed at the LAC, though recent border patrolling arrangements and de-escalation efforts have helped reduce tensions. The re-opening of tourism channels, student exchanges, and pilgrimage routes is being seen as part of a broader roadmap towards sustainable peace and normalised relations.

While China is not among the top five source countries for tourists to India, its resumption of tourist visas and the prospect of resumed flights could help restore pre-2020 travel numbers. In 2019, India welcomed 1.09 crore (10.9 million) foreign tourists, of which a small but growing segment was from China.

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