Last update: Jun 01, 2023, 01:02 am IST
The Chinese spokesperson said the Indian side has yet to renew the visa of the last Chinese journalist in the country.
The allegation came in the wake of a Wall Street Journal report that said China and India had “effectively expelled” large numbers of journalists from each other.
China on Wednesday accused India of “unfair and discriminatory treatment” of Chinese journalists and threatened to take “appropriate countermeasures” against the country.
The allegation came in the wake of a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report that China and India have “effectively expelled” a large number of journalists from each other recently by denying visa renewals.
According to the WSJ report, New Delhi refused to renew visas this month for the only two remaining Chinese state media journalists in the country.
The report said that the Indian media had four journalists stationed in China. However, according to a Chinese official, at least two of them have not been granted visas to re-enter the country.
In addition, a third journalist was told this month that his accreditation had been revoked.
Speaking at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said: “Chinese journalists have suffered unfair and discriminatory treatment in India for a long time. In 2017, the Indian side shortened the validity period of Chinese journalists’ visas in India to three months or even one month without any valid reason.”
“Since 2020, the Indian side has refused to review and approve Chinese journalists’ requests to park in India. As a result, the number of Chinese journalists stationed in India has plummeted from 14 during normal hours to just one,” he added.
The Chinese spokesperson said the Indian side has yet to renew the visa of the last Chinese journalist in the country.
“The number of Chinese journalists stationed in India is about to drop to zero. Considering this, the Chinese side has no choice but to take appropriate countermeasures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese media organizations,” he added.
However, the Chinese spokesperson added that China is still willing to maintain communication with India.
In early April, a media report said that China had frozen the visas of two Indian journalists. In response, the Foreign Ministry said India hoped the Chinese would facilitate the continued presence of Indian journalists in Beijing.
During a press conference, MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said that there are Chinese journalists with valid Indian visas who are engaged in press activities.
“We don’t see any difficulty in reporting” (by Chinese journalists), he added.
India and China are locked in a protracted border standoff in eastern Ladakh for three years. The bilateral relationship came under severe strain following the deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020.
India, as the current chair of the G20, has organized a series of meetings at the national level in preparation for the upcoming summit in New Delhi in September. In the past two months, Beijing has skipped G20 meetings held in Ladakh and Kashmir.
(With input from Shalinder Wangu)
