NEW DELHI
India has cut red tape to speed business visas for Chinese professionals, two officials said, a major step to boost ties between the Asian giants and end chronic delays that cost output worth billions of dollars because of scarce technicians.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautiously rekindles ties with Beijing in the face of punishing US tariffs, the officials said New Delhi dropped a layer of bureaucratic scrutiny and shortened visa approval times to less than a month.
Both officials who confirmed the development to Reuters spoke on condition of anonymity.
India had blocked virtually all Chinese visits after the nuclear-armed neighbours clashed on their Himalayan frontier in mid-2020, widening its vetting of business visas beyond the home and foreign ministries. The issues around securing visas have now been completely resolved, said one of the officials with knowledge of the matter.
“We have removed the layer of administrative vetting and are processing the business visas within four weeks,” the official added. India’s ministries of external affairs, home and trade, as well as the prime minister’s office and the top think tank on policy, did not respond to email requests for comment. Following the news, China’s foreign ministry said it had noticed “positive action” from India to facilitate people-to-people exchanges in the common interest. — DNA
