Tourist Visas for Chinese Citizens Resume After Direct Flights, Indian Government Takes This Step

India has resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens after a 5-year hiatus. Tensions between the two countries had escalated following the Galwan clash.

India has resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens. Tensions between the two countries escalated following the Galwan clash in 2020, which led to a complete halt in visa services and direct flights. Now, after five years, the Indian government has decided to resume issuing visas to Chinese citizens.

Easing of Strained Relations Expected

This move is expected to ease the strained relations between the two countries. Earlier this year, several important agreements were reached between India and China. Following these, an agreement was first made to resume direct passenger flights between the two nations. Now, a decision regarding visas has been taken.

Officials familiar with the matter stated that this decision was made following an order issued in July of this year, which suggested resuming tourist visas for Chinese citizens.

Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Resumes

A month ago, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which had been suspended for five years, was also resumed in June 2025, with the first group of Indian pilgrims entering Tibet.

Prior to this, on April 1st, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping and India's President Droupadi Murmu exchanged congratulatory messages with Premier Li Qiang and PM Modi, signalling a renewed commitment to stability.

Diplomacy Between China and India Intensified This Year

Diplomacy between India and China has intensified this year, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visiting Beijing in July. He had then stated that relations were gradually moving in a positive direction.

Furthermore, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India for two days in August. During his visit, he discussed de-escalation of border tensions and normalisation with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar.

PM Modi Visited China After 7 Years

Following this, PM Modi visited China on August 31st, which was his first visit in seven years. This led to a thaw in relations between the two countries. It is noteworthy that tensions between India and China had escalated after the clash in the Galwan Valley in 2020.

Several Indian soldiers were martyred in this clash, while China did not confirm its casualties. Subsequently, both countries increased their military deployments along the border.