India has revived the issuance of tourist visas for Chinese citizens, bringing an end to a five-year freeze that began in the aftermath of the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.
The development marks a major step in the ongoing effort to restore normalcy in India-China relations. This decision aligns with a series of confidence-building measures rolled out earlier in 2025, including the January agreement between New Delhi and Beijing to restart direct passenger flights.
Officials said the revival of tourist visas followed a formal directive issued in July instructing authorities to resume such services for Chinese citizens.
The reopening comes on the heels of another significant move. The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage, suspended since 2020, was reinstated in June 2025, with the first group of Indian pilgrims entering Tibet after years of interruption.
Diplomatic momentum has been visibly building throughout the year. On 1 April, as both nations marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, presidents Xi Jinping and Droupadi Murmu and premiers Li Qiang and Narendra Modi exchanged congratulatory messages, signalling a shared intent to stabilise ties.
High-level engagements further shaped the trajectory of 2025. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to Beijing in July, noting that relations were “gradually moving in a positive direction” and that there was now a “fundamental basis for mutual strategic trust.”
In August, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid a two-day visit to New Delhi, holding talks with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and EAM Jaishankar on border de-escalation and broader normalisation.
These exchanges laid the groundwork for PM Modi’s high-profile trip to China on 31 August – his first in seven years – to attend the SCO Summit in Tianjin. During the visit, Modi and Xi affirmed their intention to view one another as “partners rather than rivals.”
The resumption of direct flights soon followed. On 10 November, India’s Consul General in Shanghai, Pratik Mathur, welcomed the first group of travellers arriving from New Delhi as commercial air links between the two countries officially restarted after five years.
In a post on X, India in Shanghai wrote, “Fair Winds & Clear skies! India emerges as a Global Hub as people-to-people ties grow stronger. CG @PratikMathur1 was at hand to receive the first set of passengers as direct flights resumed between New Delhi and Shanghai.”
