India suspends tourist visas for Chinese nationals

Chinese nationals resident in India will be facing serious problems with the Indian immigration authorities in the coming days. India recently decided to invalidate tourist visas issued to Chinese nationals wishing to visit the country. Find out why below.

Background and impact of the decision

As of April, tourist visas for Chinese nationals living in India will be invalidated. This is the gist of IATA's communication to its member carriers on April 20. In a circular note, the International Air Transport Association declared that: "Tourist visas issued to Chinese nationals are no longer valid".

Since the beginning of 2020, almost 22,000 Indian students living in China have been denied access to physical classes at some of the country's universities. Despite the numerous steps taken by India's foreign services, China has not budged on its refusal to let these students into the classroom. The Chinese government's refusal to allow Indian students to attend classes is part of the measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, India has authorized certain groups of passengers to enter its territory. These include nationals of Bhutan, India, the Maldives and Nepal, including passengers holding a residence permit for India. Passengers holding a conventional or electronic visa issued by India can also enter the country.

Travelers holding a card or booklet certifying that they are overseas Indian citizens are also authorized to travel to India. In addition, the Indian government also allows passengers holding diplomatic passports to enter India. The International Air Transport Association has also invalidated tourist visas valid for 10 years.

Actions taken by India

In March, the Indian government asked China to take a sympathetic approach to foreign students. And for good reason: the implementation of strict restrictions is penalizing the university studies of many Indian students. According to AEM spokesman Arindam Bagchi, China was studying the question of allowing foreign students to return to its territory.

However, the Chinese side has never given a positive or negative response to the return of Indian students. For its part, India says it will continue to urge China to adopt a more flexible stance towards the students. India would also like the Chinese government to take steps to facilitate the return of Indian students to China so that they can continue their studies.

The AEM spokesman nevertheless pointed out that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar had already discussed the issue in Dushanbe at a meeting in September 2021. The Indian government affirms that it is always open to negotiations in order to find a good alternative to this diplomatic crisis.

This situation comes on top of the various points of contention existing between these two emerging Asian nations.

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