A significant diplomatic thaw between the two Asian countries has occurred as India has begun granting tourist visas to Chinese nationals following a five-year suspension. The decision, which will take effect in late 2025, comes after a number of incremental measures to foster trust in order to restore relations that had been strained since the conflict in the Galwan Valley in 2020.
The order to reinstate visa services has been considered since mid-2025 and was officially approved earlier this year, according to officials familiar with the situation.
The action is a component of a larger set of confidence-boosting initiatives that have been underway since both nations decided to resume direct passenger flights in January 2025. According to diplomatic sources, months of backchannel negotiations and reciprocal measures meant to strengthen mutual goodwill resulted in the July guideline that suggested the return of tourist visas.
The reopening has symbolic meaning since it represents a deliberate attempt by both parties to resume social and economic interactions while continuing to discuss unsolved border concerns.
The resuscitation of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in June 2025 earlier in the year was another indication of strengthening relations. Both governments saw the spiritual pilgrimage’s return as a cultural and humanitarian gesture after it had been halted for five years in a row.
A gradual reopening of long-closed routes was highlighted in mid-June when the first party of Indian pilgrims safely crossed the Lipulekh Pass into Tibet.
Throughout 2025, formal diplomatic relations also increased. On April 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Premier Li Qiang sent congratulations to Presidents Xi Jinping and Droupadi Murmu on the 75th anniversary of India-China diplomatic relations. After years of diplomatic frost, the communications signalled a recalibration of relations by reiterating each country’s commitment to peaceful growth and mutual respect.
A significant milestone in bilateral diplomacy was reached when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Beijing in July 2025. He emphasised that both countries were re-establishing “a fundamental basis for mutual strategic trust” and characterised India-China relations as “gradually moving in a positive direction.” His discussions with Chinese officials centred on doable solutions including managing borders, facilitating trade, and re-establishing military hotlines.
The diplomatic momentum was further reinforced in August 2025 when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi paid New Delhi a reciprocal visit. He met with Minister Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval during his two-day visit to talk about disengagement patterns along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and to decide on ways to avoid future frontier standoffs. Higher-level engagements later in the year were made possible by these conversations.
Prime Minister Modi’s historic visit to Tianjin on August 31 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit marked the pinnacle of this diplomatic renaissance. He had a major bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping during his first trip to China since 2018.
Echoing an uncommon tone of cooperation in recent years, both leaders reiterated their intention to see one another as “partners rather than rivals.” Additionally, the SCO platform offered a chance to talk about Central Asian counterterrorism efforts, economic integration, and regional stability.
After a five-year hiatus, direct commercial flights between New Delhi and Shanghai resumed in November, marking yet another significant milestone. Pratik Mathur, the Indian Consul General in Shanghai, greeted the first batch of travellers from Delhi at Pudong International Airport on November 10.
Resuming air connections will greatly increase corporate travel, student mobility, and tourism exchanges, according to the Indian consulate. On social media, the consulate said, “Fair Winds & Clear Skies! “As people-to-people ties grow stronger, India emerges as a Global Hub,” encapsulating the spirit of renewed engagement.
These moves are now combined into a cohesive diplomatic trajectory with the restoration of tourist permits. The decision, which permits Chinese tourists to return to Indian locations, universities, and spa retreats that had long drawn tourists, is viewed by officials as both a political gesture and an economic driver.
On the other hand, it makes it possible for Indian travel agencies, airlines, and companies to re-establish connections with China’s expanding outbound travel industry.
New Delhi seems to be signalling a strategy of calibrated normalization—prioritizing stability, shared interests, and incremental trust repair—by sequentially restoring flights, pilgrimages, and now visas.
Both governments seem determined to foster a consistent, civilian-led re-engagement that can maintain diplomatic balance amid strategic competition, even though fundamental territory and security issues are still unresolved.
