NEW DELHI: More than 1,80,000 Chinese visas were issued to Indian citizens in 2023, Chinese embassy in India spokesperson Wang Xiaojian said on Friday.

He also shared that last year, the Chinese Embassy in India took a series of measures to facilitate Indian citizens travelling to China and hoped that India would also resume normal visa channels for people from China coming to India.

Taking to X, Wang Xiaojian said, “More than 180,000 Chinese Visas have been issued to Indian citizens in 2023! In the past year, Chinese Embassy & Consulates-General in India have taken a package of measures to better facilitate Indian citizens traveling to China, such as online appointment removed, fingerprints exemption and temporary fee reduction.”

He added, “It’s sincerely hoped that the India side would resume normal visa channels for Chinese citizens traveling to India ASAP to jointly promote mutual people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China & India.”

Earlier in 2022, India suspended tourist visas for Chinese nationals, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a circular for its members.

IATA issued a circular for its member carriers regarding entry into India and said, “Tourist visas issued to nationals of China (People’s Republic) are no longer valid.”

It further reads that the nationals of Bhutan, India, Maldives and Nepal, passengers with a residence permit issued by India, passengers with visas or e-visa issued by India are allowed to enter India.

According to the circular, passengers with an overseas citizen of India card or booklet like those who have a Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card and those with a diplomatic passport are also allowed to enter India.

The IATA also said that tourist visas with a validity of 10 years are no longer valid.