India has suspended tourist visas issued to Chinese citizens in a response to China blocking the return of thousands of Indians enrolled at Chinese universities over coronavirus concerns.
The International Air Transport Association, a global body with 290 members, last week issued a circular stating that Indian “tourist visas issued to citizens of China are no longer valid”.
Indian authorities have not commented.
India reopened its borders to international visitors in March to revive its pandemic-hit hospitality industry amid global vaccination efforts and falling infection rates.
Chinese travellers, the largest group of international tourists, rank among India's top 10 foreign visitors by nationality.
More than 280,000 Chinese tourists visited India in 2018, according to government estimates.
The cancellation of tourist visas is seen as a retaliatory move by New Delhi after it failed to convince Beijing to allow Indian students entry despite waning coronavirus cases, global vaccination coverage and normalisation of global transport.
About 20,000 Indian students are seeking to return to China to resume physical classes after they left the country when the pandemic began in early 2020.
China is the only country that is taking steps to prevent international students from entering, according to Global Admissions, a website supporting students who seek to study abroad.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in February that his ministry had been saying for over a year that Beijing wanted an orderly return of the students under Covid-19 safety protocols.
In March, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told reporters that he raised the issue with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during the latter's surprise visit to New Delhi.
“I took up strongly the predicament of Indian students studying in China who have not been allowed to return, citing Covid restrictions. We hope that China will take a non-discriminatory approach since it involves the future of so many young people,” Mr Jaishankar said.
Despite a strict “zero-Covid” policy involving lockdowns and mass testing, outbreaks of the disease have been reported in many Chinese cities in past months, most recently in Shanghai. On Saturday, Beijing authorities reported 10 cases among students at a middle school.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
