The only remaining Indian journalist in China has been asked to leave the country within a month further aggravating the already strained ties between Beijing and New Delhi.
Chinese authorities have instructed the Press Trust of India reporter to leave the country this month and with his departure, India’s media presence in the world's second-largest economy will completely cease to exist.
There were four reporters from Indian media outlets based in China earlier this year. The Hindustan Times reporter left over the weekend, while two journalists from public broadcaster Prasar Bharati and The Hindu newspaper namely Anshuman Mishra and Ananth Krishnan respectively were barred from returning to China in April.
Both of them were reporting on China but were in India when their visas had been “frozen”.
China's foreign ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) have not responded yet. The development comes as geopolitical tensions between the two countries remain high.
Last month, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning alleged that the action against Indian reporters was taken in response to the “unfair and discriminatory treatment” the Chinese reporters have been subjected to in India for a long time.
She said that the number of Chinese journalists in India has plummeted from 14 to just one.
“In 2017, the Indian side shortened the period of validity of visas held by Chinese journalists in India to three months or even one month without any valid reason,” Mao had claimed. “Since 2020, the Indian side has refused to review and approve Chinese journalists’ applications for stationing in India.”
Mao Ning said that there was one Chinese journalist left in India, who was still awaiting renewal of their visa. Earlier, New Delhi rejected visa renewal applications from two journalists from Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television.
The Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said earlier this month that Chinese reporters had been operating in the country without any difficulty, but this was not the case for Indian journalists in China. Both countries were in touch over the issue, it added.
The visa spat started a few months ago over Indian journalists hiring assistants in China to help with reporting, according to Indian officials familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the situation.
Beijing imposed measures limiting employment to three individuals at a time who must come from a pool provided by the Chinese authorities, they said. India doesn't have a cap on hiring, Bloomberg reported.
The tit-for-tat eviction of accredited journalists from China and India is the latest flashpoint in the strained ties between the two neighbouring countries since the militaries of the two countries clashed in Galwan Valley.
China has since sought to keep that dispute separate from the overall relationship and focus on trade and economic ties, but India has said relations cannot go back to normal until the border issue is resolved.
The visa rejections come as India hosts the Group of Twenty and the Chinese-founded Shanghai Cooperation Dialogue meetings this year. Xi is expected to attend the G-20 leaders summit in September as China looks to build its diplomatic and political presence globally.