In a significant but low-key diplomatic gesture, India has reopened tourist visas for Chinese nationals applying through its embassies and consulates across the world. The process began earlier this week, marking the first comprehensive relaxation of travel restrictions placed after the Line of Actual Control (LAC) standoff erupted in 2020.
The visa freeze had lasted for years, following escalating tensions and the deadly Galwan Valley clash that took the bilateral relationship to its lowest point in decades. Now, with missions worldwide accepting tourist visa applications, a slow but deliberate attempt to uncurl bilateral ties is clearly underway.
A Gradual Reset After Years of Friction
The decision comes roughly four months after India first resumed tourist visas for Chinese citizens within China, processing applications in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
The expansion of this facility to Indian missions globally signals New Delhi’s intent to restore normal channels of travel and exchange—with no formal announcement, but unmistakable intent.
Diplomatic sources indicate that the move is part of a set of “people-centric steps” jointly agreed upon by both countries over recent months. These measures are designed not just to ease mobility but to rebuild trust after years of frozen engagement.
Direct Flights Return, Cultural Exchanges Restart
Direct flights between India and China—suspended since early 2020—resumed in October this year. This has been accompanied by other symbolic but substantive developments, including the agreement to restart the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in the upcoming summer season.
Events marking the 75th anniversary of India–China diplomatic relations have also taken place in missions on both sides, reintroducing cultural and diplomatic warmth that had largely disappeared since the LAC tensions began.
Post-LAC Understanding Paves the Way
The shift in tone became possible after India and China reached an understanding on disengaging frontline forces along the LAC in late 2024.
This was followed by a notable meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan, where both leaders agreed to revive suspended communication mechanisms and reopen areas of cooperation that had stalled due to the border conflict.
Since then, high-level dialogues have increased. Meetings involving foreign ministers, defence ministers, national security advisers, and Special Representatives Ajit Doval and Wang Yi have produced progress on issues ranging from military disengagement to trade and border exchanges.
Trade Signals Improve as China Responds to Indian Concerns
Diplomatically, China has moved to address some of India’s longstanding trade-related concerns, including easing restrictions on key mineral exports—particularly rare earth elements critical for manufacturing and technology supply chains.
Border trade, suspended coordination mechanisms, and sectoral cooperation have also begun to re-emerge, signalling that both nations are now viewing stabilisation as a strategic necessity rather than a symbolic gesture.
A Step Forward, Not the Final Destination
India’s decision to reopen tourist visas through its global missions is not an endpoint but rather a stepping stone.
The broader India–China relationship still carries unresolved tensions, especially regarding the border dispute. But the revival of people-to-people movements—tourists, pilgrims, professionals, students—acts as a foundation on which deeper diplomatic normalisation can be built.
For now, what stands out is the quiet, measured pace at which both nations are trying to rebuild the connective tissue that once sustained one of Asia’s most consequential relationships.
