New Delhi/Beijing: India on Thursday hoped that Chinese authorities would facilitate continued presence of Indian journalists in China.

The comments by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in Delhi came days after China decided to “freeze” visas of two Indian journalists.

“There are Chinese journalists who have valid Indian visas to undertake journalistic activities,” Bagchi said responding to a question on the issue.

From that perspective, we don’t see any difficulties in doing reporting (by the Chinese journalists), he said.

“As regards to Indian journalists working in China, we would hope that Chinese authorities would facilitate their continued presence and reporting from China,” Bagchi said.

“We are in touch with Chinese authorities in this regard,” he said.

Meanwhile, China has sought reciprocal measures from India for the facilitation of its journalists even as it defended its recent move to freeze the visas of the two Indian correspondents.

China’s Foreign Ministry officials on Tuesday informed Ananth Krishnan, the China correspondent of The Hindu, and Anshuman Mishra, the Beijing-based correspondent of Prasar Bharati, who are currently in India on leave that their visas have been “frozen” and they cannot return until further orders.

Asked why China resorted to the suspension of visas of the two Indian journalists, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing that “for a long-time Chinese journalists have received unfair and discriminatory treatment in India”.

“In 2017, India shortened the visa for Chinese journalists from three months to one month. In 2020, India refused to approve applications from Chinese journalists to go to India,” she claimed. PTI

Press Trust of India