China wipes India's media presence as it asks last Indian journalist to leave this month

China has asked last Indian journalist to leave the country this month as Beijing and New Delhi eject each other’s reporters in a tit-for-tat row deepening a rift between the Asian economic powerhouses, according to a report. According to a Bloomberg report, citing a person familiar with the matter, Chinese authorities have instructed the Press Trust of India reporter to leave the country, wiping India’s media presence from the world’s second largest economy at a moment of deteriorating ties. Indian media outlets had four reporters 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 were denied visa renewals in China in April. According to the report, China’s foreign ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs did not reply to requests for comment. Last month, Wall Street Journal reported that India and China are “virtually wiping out media access” to each other by ejecting each other’s journalists. The report, quoting people in the know, said that New Delhi had denied visa renewals to the last two remaining Chinese state media journalists in the country, from state-run Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television. Following their visa expiration, the two scribes have left India and with this, there are now no remaining Chinese state media reporters in India – a first since at least the 1980s. Blame game Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning accused India of being unfair to its journalists since 2017 while India 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. In her statement last month, she said that India had “without reason” shortened the validity period of Chinese journalists’ visas to between one and three months. Also, in 2020, New Delhi had refused to approve applications for Chinese reporters to be permanently based in India. “What I can tell you is that for a long time Chinese media reporters have suffered unfair and discriminatory treatment in India,” she said during a regular press briefing. “Faced with this long-term unreasonable suppression by the Indian side, China has no choice but to take appropriate countermeasures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese media,” Mao added. However, it is important to note here that China also expelled Indian journalists from their soil. Last month, reporters from The Hindu and New Delhi’s state-owned public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, who were travelling outside China were barred from returning. Moreover, a Hindustan Times reporter was told in May that his press credentials were being invalidated. The visa spat 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. 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. Relations between Beijing and New Delhi have been tense since Galwan brawl on the Himalayan frontier in 2020. The visa rejections come as India hosts the G20 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. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.