The Indian Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday announced that India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals starting five years after the Galwan clashes on July 24. Tourist visas were suspended following the deadly border clashes and subsequent standoff in eastern Ladakh.
The movement came after Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was on a two-day visit to Beijing, reflecting renewed diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the visit followed the understanding reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping during their meeting in Kazan last October.
Misri and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong held a brief review of bilateral relations and agreed on many people-centric initiatives to stabilise and improve ties.
The MEA further said that both sides agreed to hold an early meeting of the India–China Expert Level Mechanism to restart cooperation on hydrological data sharing and other matters related to trans-border rivers.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with President Xi Jinping in Beijing this month as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ delegation.
About his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Jaishankar said on X, “It’s incumbent on both sides to address border issues, normalise exchanges, and avoid trade restrictions.”
In June 2020, India and China engaged in a deadly confrontation in the Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, claiming at least 20 Indian soldiers’ lives, including a commanding officer. Subsequently, China said four fatalities on its side, though independent assessments suggested the actual number may have been significantly higher.
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