India on Monday advised its nationals to exercise due discretion while travelling to or transiting through China.
"We expect the Chinese authorities to provide assurances that Indian citizens transiting through Chinese airports will not be selectively targeted, arbitrarily detained or harassed and that regulations governing international air travel would be respected by the Chinese side," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Monday.
New Delhi’s move came two weeks after an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh was detained at Shanghai airport when authorities refused to recognise her Indian passport as valid during a transit halt.
He was responding to a query about this November 21 incident.
"The Ministry of External Affairs would advise Indian nationals to exercise due discretion while travelling to or transiting through China," Jaiswal said.
Earlier on Monday, the Chinese Embassy in India announced that it will launch an online visa application system for Indian citizens on 22 December, 2025.
According to a notice from the embassy, applicants will be able to fill out forms and upload materials through the new platform accessible via the official website.
The Chinese Ambassador to India shared the update on social media and invited interested travellers to visit the site for further details.
The Chinese Visa Application Service Center in New Delhi will continue operating during regular business hours to assist applicants.
Its address and contact details remain unchanged with services available from Monday to Friday.
The move to introduce online visa processing is part of larger confidence building measures agreed earlier in 2025 to improve bilateral ties and promote exchanges.
These measures also led to the resumption of direct commercial flights in October and the revival of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra pilgrimage.
In November 2025, India lifted restrictions on tourist visas for Chinese nationals ending a five year suspension imposed after the Galwan border incident in 2020.
"Visas for tourists are being given to Chinese nationals and business visas were being given earlier. So you know, all those visas are now in place. The visa regime of tourism and business, etc, is fully functional," Jaiswal had said.
These recent developments come as India and China continue diplomatic and military dialogues to address unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control.
