India To Begin Issuing Tourist Visas To Chinese Citizens

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens from July 24 this year, its embassy in China said yesterday, the first time in five years as both countries move to repair their rocky relationship.
In a statement, India's embassy in China said that Chinese citizens can apply for a tourist visa to India after completing an online application, scheduling an appointment and personally submitting their passport and other required documents to the Indian Visa Application Centres in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, in South China's Guangdong Province.
“Please be informed that all passport withdrawal requests for applications submitted in India Visa Application Centre in Beijing must be accompanied by a passport withdrawal letter..,” the statement added.
Tensions between the two countries escalated following a 2020 military clash along their disputed Himalayan border. In response, India imposed restrictions on Chinese investments, banned hundreds of popular Chinese apps and cut passenger routes.
China suspended visas to Indian citizens and other foreigners around the same time due to the Covid-19 pandemic but lifted those restrictions in 2022, when it resumed issuing visas for students and business travellers.
Tourist visas for Indian nationals remained restricted until March this year, when both countries agreed to resume direct air service.
Relations have gradually improved, with several high-level meetings taking place last year, including talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Russia in October. China's foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said yesterday that Beijing had noted the positive move.“China is ready to maintain communication and consultation with India and constantly improve the level of personal exchanges between the two countries,” he said.
India and China share a 3,800km border that has been disputed since the 1950s. The two countries fought a brief but brutal border war in 1962 and negotiations to settle the dispute have made slow progress.
Earlier this year, India and China explored ways to rebuild ties and agreed to initiate efforts to promote people-to-people exchanges, including arrangements for resumption of direct flights.

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