China’s Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. AFP.

Beijing: China played tit-for-tat with India by freezing visas of two Indian journalists this week. Now, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Thursday claimed that Chinese journalists in India receive “unfair and discriminatory” and therefore, it took “corresponding counter measures”.

Earlier this week, China barred two Indian journalists posted in Beijing from returning to their jobs in the Chinese capital from India. They were told that their visas have been frozen.

When asked about visa suspensions of the Indian journalists, Ning said scribes of her country have received “unfair and discriminatory treatment in India for a long time”.

She further alleged that a Xinhua journalist was recently asked to leave India by 31 March.

‘Counter measures to safeguard our legitimate interests’

The Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman claimed that China has always treated Indian journalists well and authorities in Beijing have been in touch with New Delhi, but “they neither respond nor correct the mistake.”

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“China therefore has to take corresponding counter measures to safeguard our legitimate interests. China welcomes Indian journalists to work in China. If India can correct its mistakes, China is willing to continue to facilitate Indian journalists in China,” she added.

Meanwhile, India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India hoped “Chinese authorities would facilitate their continued presence and reporting from China.”

The fresh diplomatic sparring between India and China came within days after New Delhi objected to Beijing renaming names of 11 places in Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

India “outrightly rejected” China’s move of renaming 11 places in Arunachal which it calls “Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet”.

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India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and always be an integral and inalienable part of India.”

“Attempts to assign invented names (by China) will not alter this reality,” the MEA spokesperson said.

With inputs from agencies

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