New Delhi/Beijing:
China on Thursday said it would like to treat Indian journalists as “friends and family”, as India expressed hope that Beijing would facilitate their continued presence in the country.
The remarks came in the backdrop of China blocking two Indian journalists from entering the country, claiming that India refused to accept applications from Chinese journalists.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said yesterday that for Chinese journalists holding valid Indian visas to carry out journalistic activities, we do not see any difficulty in reporting.
For Indian journalists working in China, he said, “We would expect the Chinese authorities to facilitate their continued presence and reporting from China.”
Later in the day, his Chinese counterpart said Beijing expected India to facilitate Chinese journalists in the country, when asked about the suspension of visas of two Indian journalists.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said, “We would like to treat Indian journalists as friends and family.”
(With inputs from PTI and Reuters)