China Asks Last Indian Journalist Stationed There To Leave This Month

The last Indian journalist has been instructed to leave China. This move comes as both countries have expelled each other's reporters in a tit-for-tat row.

The Chinese authorities have instructed the Press Trust of India reporter to leave the country promptly this month, Bloomberg News has reported.

As per a reliable source, the exit of the Indian reporter would entirely erase India's media presence in China.

Earlier this year, Indian media had stationed four reporters in China. However, the Hindustan Times reporter departed over the weekend.

In April, China refused to renew visas for two journalists from public broadcaster Prasar Bharati and The Hindu newspaper, which means India has no reporters stationed in China anymore.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, there is only one Chinese journalist remaining in India, who is still awaiting the renewal of their visa.

However, earlier this year, New Delhi denied visa renewal applications for two journalists from Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television.

Although the Indian government claimed that Chinese journalists were operating without any issues in the country, Indian journalists in China were facing difficulties. The government stated that both countries were in touch regarding the matter.

The visa dispute began a few months ago over Indian journalists hiring assistants in China to aid reporting, as per unnamed Indian officials familiar with the issue.

Beijing enforced measures limiting hiring to three individuals at a time from a pool provided by the Chinese authorities, while India does not have a hiring cap.

Since a deadly brawl on the Himalayan frontier in 2020, Beijing and New Delhi's relationship has been tense.

Although China has attempted to compartmentalise that dispute from the overall relationship and prioritise trade and commercial ties, India has stated that relations cannot return to normal until the border issue is resolved.