After a gap of five years, India resumes issuance of tourist visas to Chinese citizens

New Delhi/Beijing: India has announced resuming issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals from this week, a move that comes as part of efforts to repair bilateral ties that came under severe strain following the military clashes in Galwan Valley.

India had suspended issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals in 2020 largely due to Covid-19 pandemic but the restrictions continued in view of the eastern Ladakh border row.

The Indian embassy in Beijing said Chinese nationals may apply for tourist visas from Thursday.

In a notification, it also explained the required procedures to apply for the visas as well as documents required to be submitted at respective Indian visa application centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

China Foreign Ministry has welcomed India’s decision to open the tourists’ visas saying it is a positive move to facilitate cross-border travel. “It is a positive move”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said in a media briefing here answering a question on India’s decision.

“Making cross border travel easier serves the interests of all parties. China stands ready maintain communication and coordination with India to keep facilitating people to people exchanges between the two countries”, he said.

The decision by the Indian embassy to resume the tourist visas came nearly a week-and-half after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held extensive talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing.

Jaishankar visited China on July 14-15 primarily to attend a conclave of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.with agency inputs