Despite being the world’s two most populous nations and neighbors demanding more visitors, Indian and Chinese people have found it challenging to take vacations in each other’s countries for the majority of the past five years.
That appears to be about to change as the two Asian giants’ formerly tense ties finally start to improve.
Following a fatal border collision that plunged relations into a deep freeze, India will grant Chinese people tourist visas for the first time in five years, allowing inhabitants of its neighboring nations to freely visit one another. This marks a huge reset in relations.
The Indian embassy in Beijing said on Wednesday that Chinese nationals can apply for tourist visas to India starting on Thursday, July 24.
China’s foreign spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that this “good news” serves the “common interests of all parties.” “In order to continually increase the level of facilitation of personnel exchanges between the two countries, China is prepared to maintain contact and consultation with India.”
Following a bloody hand-to-hand conflict in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that claimed the lives of at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers, relations between China and India have been gradually improving in recent months.
Along their 2,100-mile (3,379-kilometer) de facto border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC), both countries have a significant military presence. This unclear line has been a constant source of conflict since their brutal 1962 war.
The first fatal conflict along India and China’s disputed border in over 40 years occurred in 2020 in the disputed area between Indian Ladakh and Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin.
Following the incident, tensions increased. India increased its inspection of Chinese investments, blocked many Chinese apps, and shut down direct flights between the two nations.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, both nations had closed their borders to foreign visitors; however, as international travel started to pick up again, visa requirements persisted.
Following announcements by Beijing and New Delhi that they would seek to restore direct air travel, China in March relaxed restrictions on tourist visas for Indian nationals, according to Reuters.
Many now view India’s retaliatory action as a positive step.
Sarvjeet Sankrit, founder of Delhi-based travel agency Ghum India Ghum (Roam India Roam), said he saw “lots of Chinese tourists” visit the capital prior to the visa ban, saying, “Inbound tourism is going through a tough period post Covid, so it is good for us that another market has opened.”
According to him, the removal of restrictions by India is “a positive thing for vehicle owners, guides, and hotel owners.” “There will be greater business for everyone.”
