Days after two Indian journalists posted in China by their respective organisations were told not to return to Beijing, India on Thursday said it has taken up the issue with the authorities there and hoped Chinese authorities will facilitate continued presence of the journalists there.
Asked why China resorted to the suspension of visas of the two Indian journalists, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told the media on Tuesday that “for a long-time Chinese journalists have received unfair and discriminatory treatment in India. In 2017, India shortened the visa for Chinese journalists from three months to one month. In 2020, India refused to approve applications from Chinese journalists to go to India.”
The Hindu newspaper’s representative Ananth Krishnan and Anupam Mishra of Prasar Bharti were visiting India for personal reasons when they were informed by Chinese officials not to return there as their visas were frozen.
Reacting to the development, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi said here on Thursday, “There are Chinese journalists who have valid Indian visas to undertake journalistic activities. From that perspective, we don’t see any difficulties in doing reporting (by the Chinese journalists).”
“With regard to Indian journalists working in China, we would hope that Chinese authorities would facilitate their continued presence and reporting from China,” Bagchi said.
“We are in touch with Chinese authorities in this regard,” he said.
The Chinese action was reported on Tuesday and sources said China took this step after India reportedly asked a Chinese journalist to leave the country.
The move followed the Indian side informing a New Delhi-based correspondent of State-run Xinhua news agency last month that his Indian visa would not be renewed. The Xinhua correspondent was asked to return to China by March 31 and has since gone back, sources said.
Meanwhile, China has sought reciprocal measures from India for the facilitation of its journalists even as it defended its recent move to freeze the visas of the two Indian correspondents.
Different reasons were given for the decision to ask the Xinhua correspondent to return to China, with some people saying it was done because he had been in India for too long – having done a stint of about six years – and others saying it was because he had indulged in activities beyond his journalistic brief.
The two remaining Indian journalists in Beijing – KJM Varma of Press Trust of India (PTI) and Sutirtho Patranobis of The Hindustan Times – were told by officials of China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday that they could stay on for now. It was also learnt the remaining Indian journalists were not expected to be allowed back into China if they leave the country.
Reports indicated there were complaints from both sides about the handling of issues related to journalists. Sources said it was “factually incorrect” to suggest that India’s actions triggered a response from Chinese authorities. To be sure, Indian journalists posted in China have managed to extend their visas after meeting Chinese Foreign Ministry officials before the process.
The Hindu’s correspondent was stopped at the airport and questioned by Chinese authorities for almost 30 minutes while he was returning to India on March 31, the people added.
A few years ago, there were six Indian journalists working in Beijing but this number subsequently came down to four. Over the past few years, a handful of Indian journalists have also been given fellowships by Chinese authorities that allowed them to live in China and report for their media organisations.
The number of Chinese journalists in India, all working for State-run organisations, was at a high of 14 about seven years ago. In July 2016, India expelled three journalists from Xinhua, including the organisation’s bureau chiefs in New Delhi and Mumbai, after they came under the “adverse attention of security agencies” for allegedly indulging in activities beyond their journalistic brief.
Since then, the number of Chinese journalists in India has continued to come down. The visa of another Chinese journalist working in India was not renewed in 2021. Several of them left India during the Covid-19 pandemic and their organisations did not post anyone to replace them, sources said. At present, only one Chinese journalist is in India.
