India resumes tourist visas for Chinese nationals worldwide as both sides rebuild links
The reopening builds on India’s July decision to restart tourist visas for applicants through its missions in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong
- Nov 21, 2025,
- Updated Nov 21, 2025 5:17 PM IST
India has reopened tourist visa services for Chinese nationals at its embassies and consulates worldwide, a move seen as another calibrated step toward repairing ties after years of tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), according to Hans India. People familiar with the process said the visa category was restored earlier this week, though no formal announcement accompanied the change.
The reopening builds on India’s July decision to restart tourist visas for applicants through its missions in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Tourist visas for Chinese travellers had been suspended since 2020, following the outbreak of the border standoff that intensified with the Galwan Valley clash, which left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops dead. The freeze pushed bilateral relations to their most strained point in decades.
Officials said New Delhi and Beijing have recently agreed on a set of measures aimed at restoring normal engagement and rebuilding people-to-people contact. Direct flights, which were halted since early 2020, resumed in October. Both sides have also agreed to restart the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra next summer, ease visa processes across categories, and mark 75 years of diplomatic ties.
These steps follow the October 2024 disengagement agreement for frontline troops and the subsequent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan, where both leaders committed to accelerating efforts to resolve border issues and stabilise cooperation.
Since then, foreign and defence ministers, national security advisers, and Special Representatives Ajit Doval and Wang Yi have held a series of dialogues. Officials said the renewed engagement has helped clear the way for cooperation in areas such as border trade and economic coordination. China has also moved to address some of India’s long-standing trade concerns, including easing export restrictions on rare earth minerals.
India has reopened tourist visa services for Chinese nationals at its embassies and consulates worldwide, a move seen as another calibrated step toward repairing ties after years of tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), according to Hans India. People familiar with the process said the visa category was restored earlier this week, though no formal announcement accompanied the change.
The reopening builds on India’s July decision to restart tourist visas for applicants through its missions in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Tourist visas for Chinese travellers had been suspended since 2020, following the outbreak of the border standoff that intensified with the Galwan Valley clash, which left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops dead. The freeze pushed bilateral relations to their most strained point in decades.
Officials said New Delhi and Beijing have recently agreed on a set of measures aimed at restoring normal engagement and rebuilding people-to-people contact. Direct flights, which were halted since early 2020, resumed in October. Both sides have also agreed to restart the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra next summer, ease visa processes across categories, and mark 75 years of diplomatic ties.
These steps follow the October 2024 disengagement agreement for frontline troops and the subsequent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan, where both leaders committed to accelerating efforts to resolve border issues and stabilise cooperation.
Since then, foreign and defence ministers, national security advisers, and Special Representatives Ajit Doval and Wang Yi have held a series of dialogues. Officials said the renewed engagement has helped clear the way for cooperation in areas such as border trade and economic coordination. China has also moved to address some of India’s long-standing trade concerns, including easing export restrictions on rare earth minerals.