China has issued more than 85,000 visas to Indian citizens in 2025, signaling a significant surge in people-to-people engagement and marking a notable increase from previous years.
This development comes against the backdrop of escalating trade tensions between China and the United States, as Beijing looks to strengthen its ties with regional partners like India.
According to the Chinese Embassy in India, over 8,500 visas were granted to Indian nationals between January 1 and April 9 alone. Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, shared the update on social media platform X, stating, “As of April 9, 2025, the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in India have issued more than 85,000 visas to Indian citizens traveling to China this year. We welcome more Indian friends to experience a vibrant, sincere, and friendly China.”
The numbers reflect a steep upward trend compared to recent years. For context, China issued 180,000 visas to Indian travelers throughout all of 2023—making the 2025 figures particularly striking given they represent nearly half that total in just four months.
This rise in visa issuance is part of a broader strategy by Beijing to enhance diplomatic and cultural ties with New Delhi. In late 2023, the Chinese Embassy in India introduced a range of visa facilitation measures, including the elimination of mandatory online appointments for applicants and the exemption of fingerprint requirements for short-term, single or double-entry visas under 180 days.
Additionally, visa application fees were reduced to encourage more travel between the two nations.
The increased outreach coincides with China’s bid to counterbalance growing friction with the United States. President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports—raising them to as high as 145 percent—while China has responded with its own retaliatory tariffs of 125 percent on American goods.
As part of its diplomatic messaging, Beijing has encouraged India and other developing nations to oppose what it labels “U.S. tariff abuse.” Chinese embassy spokesperson Yu Jing recently commented that China and India, as the world’s two largest developing economies, should stand in solidarity against unilateral economic pressure from the West.
“China-India economic and trade relations are based on complementarity and mutual benefit,” Yu said on X. “In the face of U.S. tariff abuse, the two largest developing countries should stand together to overcome these challenges.”
China’s ramped-up visa program for Indian nationals is widely seen as a reflection of its intent to deepen cooperation and foster stronger regional alliances in a rapidly shifting global landscape.
