India Resumes Tourist Visas for Chinese Nationals After 5-Year Diplomatic Freeze

India has begun issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals worldwide, effectively ending a five-year suspension that was implemented following the Galwan clash in 2020.

This significant diplomatic development comes as part of ongoing efforts to normalize relations between the two Asian powers.

According to officials familiar with the situation, this decision follows a directive issued in July 2025 that recommended resuming tourist visa services for Chinese citizens.

The visa restoration is the latest in a series of diplomatic steps taken throughout 2025, beginning with a January agreement between India and China to resume direct passenger flights.

Another important milestone occurred in June 2025 when the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage was revived after a five-year hiatus, with the first group of Indian pilgrims entering Tibet.

Earlier this year, on April 1, Presidents Xi Jinping and Droupadi Murmu, along with Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Modi, exchanged congratulatory messages commemorating 75 years of diplomatic relations, signaling renewed commitment to stability between the nations.

Diplomatic engagement intensified throughout 2025, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visiting Beijing in July, where he noted that bilateral relations were "gradually moving in a positive direction" with a "fundamental basis for mutual strategic trust."

In August, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a reciprocal two-day visit to New Delhi, meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and EAM Jaishankar to discuss border de-escalation and normalization efforts.

These exchanges culminated in Prime Minister Modi's significant visit to China on August 31 - his first in seven years - for the SCO Summit in Tianjin. During this meeting, Modi and Xi committed to viewing each other as "partners rather than rivals."

Most recently, on November 10, India's Consul General 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 a five-year interruption.

The Consulate General of India in Shanghai shared this moment on social media platform X, stating: "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."