End of five-year hiatus; India resumes issuing tourist visas for Chinese nationals

NEW DELHI: India resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals after a five-year hiatus amid improved diplomatic relations. This comes after Indian pilgrims started visiting the Chinese-controlled Kailash Mansarovar from June 30.

China has gradually resumed issuing visas to Indian students and traders. India has also granted business visas to the Chinese.

Although visa procedures were suspended in 2020 in the wake of COVID, the conflict in the Galwan Valley that same year strained diplomatic relations. After a long five-year gap, diplomatic relations are improving with the effective withdrawal of troops.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit China in August or September to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit. Modi last visited China in 2018. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will also visit India for talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.