New Delhi: India on Wednesday (July 23) announced the resumption of tourist visas for Chinese nationals after a gap of five years, in what marks another incremental step towards normalising ties strained since the border standoff in 2020.The announcement came as Indian and Chinese officials held the 34th round of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs in New Delhi.The meeting focused on improving border management and preparing for the next round of special representatives’ talks later this year.The Indian embassy in Beijing made the visa announcement on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, saying that applications for tourist visas would be accepted from July 24. China’s foreign ministry welcomed the move as a positive development.“It is a positive move,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun at a press briefing in Beijing, responding to a question on India’s decision. “Making cross-border travel easier serves the interests of all parties. China stands ready to maintain communication and coordination with India to keep facilitating people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.”India suspended tourist visas in early 2020 following the COVID-19 outbreak, and relations further deteriorated after the deadly clashes in the Galwan valley that year.While Beijing resumed issuing visas for Indian tourists in March 2023, India had continued to restrict travel for Chinese nationals amid the continuing impasse at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).In Delhi, the 34th WMCC meeting was led by Gourangalal Das, joint secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs, while the Chinese side was headed by Hong Liang, director general of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department at the Chinese foreign ministry.According to an official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides “reviewed the situation in the India-China border areas” and “expressed satisfaction with the general prevalence of peace and tranquility” along the LAC.They agreed to maintain regular diplomatic and military contacts under established mechanisms and discussed follow-up measures from the previous round of special representatives’ talks and the 33rd WMCC meeting.The Chinese delegation leader also called on Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri during the visit.Wednesday’s meeting comes against the backdrop of a slow but steady thaw in bilateral relations.External affairs minister S. Jaishankar had travelled to China in April this year to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting, where he also held a bilateral dialogue with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and foreign minister Wang Yi.Jaishankar had reiterated that peace on the border was a prerequisite for the full normalisation of ties, while Wang said China was willing to “enhance communication and properly handle differences” with India.