In touch with China over suspension of visas of Indian journalists: India

New Delhi: India on Thursday said it is in touch with the Chinese authorities regarding the suspension of visas of two Indian journalists and hoped that Beijing would facilitate their continued presence and reporting from China.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, asked about the matter of suspension of visas of some Chinese journalists in India, said that it is not appropriate for him to get into discussion on visa policies as there are other agencies also involved in this process.

However, he stated that there are Chinese journalists who have valid Indian visas for pursuing journalistic activities in India.

“So from that perspective I do not see any limitations or difficulties in doing reporting, or doing media coverage.

“As regards Indian journalists working in China, we would hope that Chinese authorities would facilitate their continued presence and reporting from China.

“We are in touch with Chinese authorities in this regard. I don’t want to get into individual cases or individual information, which would not be appropriate, as I said, on visa…”

To a question on how many Chinese journalists are in India, he asked that the query should be put to the Chinese side, “..but certainly there are a number of Chinese journalists who have valid Indian visas.”

The Indian spokesperson’s response came as the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, asked in Beijing about the suspension of visas of two Indian journalists Anshuman Mishra of Prasar Bharati and Ananth Krishnan of The Hindu, claimed today that “Chinese journalists have suffered unfair and discriminatory treatment in India for a long time”.

She said that since 2020, “the Indian side has refused to review and approve Chinese journalists’ applications for stationing in India. What is worse, in December 2021, a CGTN journalist stationed in India was asked by the Indian side, with no explanation till now, to leave the country within ten days”.

She said that some days ago India asked a journalist of the Xinhua News Agency to leave the country by March 31, “citing the reason that he had been in the country for six years”.

She said that journalists from the PTI and the Hindustan Times have been stationed in China for over ten years.

“Over the years, the Chinese side has actively communicated with the Indian side with restraint and goodwill. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in India have expressed concerns to the Indian side on many occasions on the issue of Chinese journalists’ visas. Regrettably, however, the Indian side ignored this and even went further down the wrong path.

“Considering this, the Chinese side has no choice but to take appropriate counter-measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese media organizations.

“Indian journalists are welcome to work in China. If the Indian side takes positive measures to correct their mistakes, China stands ready to head toward the same direction and continue to provide facilitation for Indian journalists,” she said.

Asked if the suspension was a tit-for-tat retaliatory move, she said that the visa status of the Indian journalists has not been changed..

“We hope the Indian side could show goodwill, immediately correct the wrong practice, and provide convenience for the normal work and life of journalists based in our two countries,” she said.