India to resume tourist visas for Chinese citizens as ties improve

India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens from 24 July, its embassy in China said on Wednesday, marking the first time in five years as the two countries seek to mend strained relations.

Tensions flared after a deadly 2020 military clash along the disputed Himalayan border. 

India responded by restricting Chinese investments, banning hundreds of Chinese apps, and cutting passenger routes.

China suspended visas for Indian citizens and other foreigners around the same time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but lifted those restrictions in 2022, resuming visas for students and business travellers. 

Tourist visas for Indian nationals remained restricted until March this year, when both sides agreed to restart direct air services.

Relations have gradually improved, with several high-level meetings held last year, including talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Russia in October.

India and China share a 3,800 km (2,400-mile) border disputed since the 1950s. 

The two fought a brief but brutal war in 1962, and negotiations have made slow progress.

In July, India’s foreign minister said both countries must resolve border tensions, withdraw troops, and avoid “restrictive trade measures” to normalise relations, he told China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

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