India To Resume Tourist Visas For Chinese Nationals After 5 Years: Reports

New Delhi/Beijing: India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens from July 24 this year, the Indian Embassy in China said on Wednesday, reported Reuters. It is the first time in five years that Chinese tourists can get an Indian visa.

As per the Chinese media outlet Global Times, the Indian Embassy made the announcement via its Sina Weibo. Chinese nationals can apply for a tourist visa to visit India after completing an online application and scheduling an appointment.

They need to personally submit their passport and other required documents to the Indian Visa Application Centres in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, in South China’s Guangdong Province, reported the Global Times.

Tourist visas for Chinese nationals were suspended in 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) issued a notice in April 2022 that all tourist visas for Chinese nationals will no longer be valid. In response, China also restricted re-entry of around 22,000 Indian students into the country after the pandemic, reported Hindustan Times.

The development can be seen as a major breakthrough in improving ties between both nations. Earlier this year, India and China withdrew their troops from Depsang and Demchok, the last friction point between the two nations in eastern Ladakh.

India and China also resumed commercial flights between New Delhi and Beijing in January this year after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's visit to the neighbouring country. Both nations also agreed to resume Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in western Tibet for INdian pilgrims during Misri's visit.

Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit held in China.