India in Talks to Allow Chinese Reporters' Return

India has intensified engagement with Chinese media outlets as Beijing pushes for the issuance of visas to its journalists. This diplomatic effort comes ahead of a potential visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year.

Officials from the Indian embassy in Beijing met with representatives from Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, on June 24. Sources familiar with the discussions described the meeting as an initial engagement, emphasizing that any substantial progress on reinstating visas for Chinese journalists is likely to be a lengthy process.

The meeting involved Shweta Singh, a minister at the Indian embassy, and Wang Jianxin, deputy director general of Xinhua’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Department. The Indian embassy noted on social media that both sides "exchanged views on issues of mutual interest."

This outreach to Xinhua is part of a broader strategy by the Indian embassy to connect with senior editors at major Chinese media organizations. Should visas be restored, Xinhua could be among the first media outlets to benefit. India had previously asked the last accredited Xinhua correspondent to depart in June 2023, marking the first time since the normalization of diplomatic ties in the late 1980s that China had no accredited journalists stationed in India.

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exchanged views on issues of mutual interest