China’s ‘Global Times’ slams India's visa criteria for its tourists: 'Unnecessary hurdles'

China has welcomed India’s move to resume issuing tourist visas for its citizens, with its Foreign Ministry stating that "easing cross-border travel was widely beneficial." Not just the leadership, even the Chinese citizens welcomed the move, with data from a Chinese travel platform reportedly showing a sudden surge in searches for travel to Delhi.

While China’s state-backed Global Times hailed India’s decision as one that “could significantly boost the local tourism sector and even the broader economy” and “rebuild mutual trust”, it did not shy away from complaining about the “high thresholds” imposed by India on  Chinese tourists applying for the visa.

In a piece that appeared on the government mouthpiece ‘Global Times’, India has imposed unnecessary criteria. “For instance, applicants are required to submit bank statements of last six months showing a minimum balance of 100,000 yuan, and must apply in person in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou,” it read, adding that these “requirements not only fall short of the visa standards from five years ago but also clearly lag behind the global trend of streamlining visa policies and facilitating cross-border travel.”

While it welcomed the progress, the article claims that India’s move “is only a starting point” compared to the 280,000 visas China issued to Indian nationals in 2024. The report added that it also has to be watched whether India would take substantial steps in areas such as visa approval rates, tourist services, and safety, and the possible relaxation of visa requirements going forward.

The report then took a swipe at India for “missing many development opportunities” due to “overly calculative mind-set of some within the Indian side - acting as "accountants' in international relations”. It also called on India to recognise that resuming visa services is not a “favour” to Chinese tourist, rather in its own interest, considering that India is lagging behind neigbours like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives when it comes to competing for the Chinese tourist market.

The recent thaw in  India-China relations, it claimed, “tested India’s  ability to abandon geopolitical game-playing thinking.”

“It also assesses whether India can translate the practice of 'restoring tourist visas for Chinese citizens' into ongoing policy optimization and concrete actions,” the report added. 

World