China vows to take ‘appropriate countermeasures’ against India over journalist visas
- The neighbouring countries have kicked out nearly all of each other’s journalists, according to report
- Beijing says Chinese reporters have for a long time ‘suffered unfair and discriminatory treatment in India’
Beijing said it would take “appropriate countermeasures” against India’s “unfair and discriminatory treatment” of Chinese journalists, but called for practical action so that “normal media exchanges” could resume.
The report said the last two Chinese journalists in India – from state news agency Xinhua and state broadcaster CCTV – had been denied visa renewals. China’s foreign ministry confirmed on Wednesday that two Chinese reporters in India had not been granted visa extensions.
According to the newspaper, there are no longer any Chinese state media reporters in India – likely for the first time since at least the 1980s.
The report also said that of the four China-based Indian journalists, two were not granted visas to return to China, and one was told this month that his accreditation had been revoked but he could remain in the country.
“What I can tell you is that for a long time Chinese media reporters have suffered unfair and discriminatory treatment in India,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said during a regular press briefing, when asked about the expulsions.