'Positive move, we will maintain...': China welcomes India's decision to resume tourist visas

China on Wednesday welcomed India's move to resume tourist visas for Chinese nationals, calling it a "positive move" that would help facilitate cross-border exchanges between the two countries.

"We take note of India's resumption of tourist visas for Chinese citizens. This is a positive move. Easing cross-border travel is widely beneficial. China will maintain communication and consultation with India to further facilitate travel between the two countries," China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

India resumed the issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals this week, more than four years after the service was suspended. The ban was originally imposed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but remained in place amid heightened tensions following the Galwan Valley clashes.

The Indian embassy in Beijing formally announced the resumption of tourist visas in a notification, stating that Chinese citizens may apply from Thursday. It also listed the application procedures and required documents to be submitted at visa centres in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

The move came days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during a visit to Beijing on July 14-15. Jaishankar was in China to attend a foreign ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), but also used the opportunity to convey India’s expectations on normalising ties.

During the trip, he also met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and stressed that "continued normalisation of bilateral ties can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes."

In the last few months, both countries have signalled efforts to reset relations after years of strain. Last year, Indian and Chinese troops disengaged from several friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra last month, after nearly five years, was another indicator of the thaw.

In his remarks during the Beijing meeting, Jaishankar said the relationship between the two nations "requires both sides taking a far-seeing approach."