India will begin issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens starting Thursday, marking a significant step in mending relations between the two countries after five years of tension.
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 on Wednesday 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 3,800-kilometre (2,400-mile) 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.
In July, India’s foreign minister told his Chinese counterpart that both countries must resolve border friction, pull back troops and avoid “restrictive trade measures” to normalise their relationship.