Authorities in India have unfolded plans to accelerate the process of issuing visas to Chinese technicians.
Announcing the new plan, the government of India has said that it has intensified its collaboration with the Home and External Affairs ministries in order to reduce processing times for technicians to just 30 days, VisaGuide.World reports.
The recent changes come following concerns from business that current restrictions are impeding India’s plans to emerge as a prominent manufacturing hub.
Following a clash on the India-China frontier, back in 2020, India blocked virtually Chinese visitors, among the measures introduced back then.
India Has Issued Only 2,000 Visas in 2024 to Chinese Nationals
According to local media reports, India has issued only 2,000 visas to nationals of China since the beginning of this year, compared to nearly 200,000 issued before the pandemic in 2019.
At present, only manufacturing businesses approved as part of the incentive program can apply for business visas for Chinese workers while others are required to navigate the employment permit process, which often requires extensive paperwork.
In spite of the efforts to streamline the visa process for businesses, as part of inventive programmes, there are expected significant challenges.
A senior executive of an electronics manufacturing company in Noida, near New Delhi, told Business World that restrictions among others, are leading to escalating costs and blocked investments.
Based on the estimates of the India Cellular and Electronics Association, the border with China has reduced production in the sector by nearly USD 15 billion from 2020-2023 and also led to a loss of 100,000 job opportunities.
The association includes members such as Apple and its suppliers, as well as Chinese smartphone firms like Oppo and Vivo.
The industry is very cognizant of the nation’s security requirements, but at the same time, the transfer of skills, investments, technology transfer, and absorption of technology are critical for achieving India’s economic goals.
He told the Business World that the government actions against Chinese firms have also affected the industry, after a fewer number of nationals from China are willing to travel to India in order to explore business opportunities.
Besides, the Modi government has also intensified probes against companies such as Xiaomi Corp. and Vivo for alleged tax evasion and money laundering since the border dispute.
Mohindroo expressed his hopes that the issue will be resolved in the best interest of the industry in a timely manner.