India suspends tourist visas for Chinese citizens in retaliation for student visa row

After Beijing refused to respond to the Indian government's appeal regarding the student visa, India suspended tourist visas issued to Chinese nationals. Around 22,000 Indian students are stuck with online classes after enrolling in Chinese universities.

Many of these students had to leave China when the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020 and China has refused to let them go back for physical classes till now.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on March 17 requested Beijing to adopt a congenial stance on the matter of student visas as the current restrictions are putting thousands of students in jeopardy.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on February 8 said that the government is looking at a coordinated manner of return for foreign students. But, no categorical response has been given regarding Indian students to date.

The global airlines body International Air Transport Association (IATA) issued a circular to its member carriers regarding India's decision. It said that the tourist visas issued to nationals of China are no longer valid. Tourist visas with a validity of 10 years are also suspended. IATA has around 290 members and deals with over 80% of global air traffic.

Only nationals of Bhutan, Maldives, and Nepal are allowed to enter India. Passengers with a residence permit issued by India; passengers with a visa or an e-visa issued by India; passengers with an overseas citizen of India (OCI) card or booklet; passengers with a person of Indian origin (PIO) card; and passengers with a diplomatic passport can also enter the country.