India retaliates, suspends tourist visas of Chinese nationals

representational image (iStock photo)

NEW DELHI — India has suspended tourist visas issued to Chinese nationals. This information has been shared by the global airline body, International Air Transport Association (IATA) with its member carriers.

India has taken this step after China had reportedly blocked the entry of around 22,000 Indian students studying in the Chinese universities. They are unable to attend their physical classes due to Chinese entry restrictions.

For two years the Indian students had been taking online classes as physical classes were not taking place. But now when the university campuses are back with the physical classroom teaching they are finding it hard to return to China due to restrictions imposed by the Chinese government on the entry of Indian students.

Indian students had to leave their studies in China midway and come to India in 2020 after corona pandemic started in China.

In a circular issued on April 20, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said, “Tourist visas issued to nationals of China are no longer valid.” The IATA also said that tourist visas with a validity of 10 years are no longer valid.

However, the circular mentioned the categories of passengers who are allowed to enter India: nationals of Bhutan, India, Maldives, and Nepal; passengers with a residence permit issued by India; passengers with 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.

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