NEW DELHI, July 23 — China on Wednesday welcomed India’s decision to resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens from July 24, calling it a “positive move” that would benefit cross-border travel and people-to-people exchanges.
In a statement posted on X, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said, “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.”
The statement came as the latest sign of thawing relations between the two Asian powers, whose ties had soured following a deadly military clash in 2020 along their disputed Himalayan border. That incident led India to impose sweeping curbs on Chinese investments, ban hundreds of Chinese apps, and suspend passenger travel. In parallel, China halted visa issuance for Indian nationals and other foreign visitors, citing COVID-19 concerns. While Beijing resumed student and business visas in 2022, tourist visas remained off-limits until now.
India’s latest move follows several rounds of diplomatic talks, including a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia last year. The two sides resumed direct air services in March this year, marking a slow but steady normalisation of ties.
“China is ready to maintain communication and consultation with India and constantly improve the level of personal exchanges between the two countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday.
Despite the warming tone, the border remains a key sticking point. India and China share a 3,800-kilometre disputed frontier that has been a flashpoint since the 1950s. The two nations fought a short war in 1962, and decades of negotiations have yielded limited progress.
Just last month, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told his Chinese counterpart that resolving the border friction, disengaging troops, and avoiding restrictive trade policies were essential to restoring full normalcy in ties.
