India has resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens for the first time in five years starting Thursday, according to a Weibo post by the Indian embassy in China on Wednesday, marking a significant step in de-escalating tensions between the two countries.
Tensions between China and India escalated after their military clashed in June 2020 over their disputed Himalayan border, which resulted in casualties on both sides, according to Reuters.
Following the deadly incident, India rolled out restrictions on Chinese investments and barred access to many Chinese applications, including Shein, TikTok and Weibo.
Both countries have moved toward rebuilding their relationship with several high-level meetings in recent years. This included the bilateral meeting between China’s President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the sidelines of the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that India’s latest decision to continue issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens was 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,” he added.
Representatives from the two sides will be meeting later this year in India to discuss about border issues, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
