The news is that a trade deal with the US is almost finalized. It is expected that this will reduce the tariff rates, which will provide a lot of relief to Indian exporters and they will be able to remain competitive in the US market. Meanwhile, India has also emphasized on strengthening relations with other countries as an alternative to the US. Steps are being taken to normalize relations with China, especially after the Doklam dispute.
Tourism opened for China
India has recently opened its tourism doors for Chinese tourists. Chinese citizens will now be able to apply for Indian tourist visa through Indian Missions and Consulates across the world. In July this year, India had resumed granting tourist visas to Chinese nationals. This facility was earlier stopped in May 2020 following the military standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. News agency PTI quoted sources as saying that earlier this week, the process of granting tourist visas to Chinese citizens started again in Indian Embassies and Consulates across the world. After this, applications started coming to the Indian Embassy in Beijing and Consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
What will be the impact on relationships? Over the past few months, India and China have agreed to a number of people-to-people measures to stabilize and heal relations. These include resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, resumption of direct flights, celebration of 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations and easing of visa facilities. Direct flights between the two countries also resumed in October.
