Overview

• The Indian embassy in Beijing announced that from July 24, Chinese nationals can submit online applications and schedule in-person appointments at visa centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
• Tourist visas were suspended in 2020 after the Galwan Valley clash and COVID-19 curbs, even as student and business visas were reinstated in 2022.
• The resumption follows months of high-level talks — including Modi-Xi accords in Kazan and SCO foreign ministers’ meetings — that also paved the way for direct flights and the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage.
• China’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the move as a positive confidence-building step and pledged to deepen people-to-people exchanges.
• Border tensions and reciprocal trade restrictions remain unresolved and continue to constrain broader normalization of bilateral ties.