India expels 3 Chinese journalists for impersonation after intel input

This is probably the first time that India has asked Chinese journalists to leave the country in this manner.

India has decided to expel three senior Chinese journalists employed with China's official news agency Xinhua following "concerns" flagged by the intelligence agencies.

According to reports, Wu Qiang, Xinhua bureau chief in Delhi, along with two of his Mumbai-based colleagues Lu Tang and She Yonggang, were asked to leave the country by July 31.

This is probably the first time that India has asked Chinese journalists to leave the country in this manner. This was done because of adverse reports from intelligence agencies about the three journalists. They were suspected of impersonating other people and visiting restricted facilities under assumed names.

The reports led the authorities to cancel the visas of the three Xinhua employees.

Wu had been staying in India on an extended visa for 6 years. His two colleagues had also been given visa extensions.

Xinhua is the most influential news agency in China, being the mouthpiece of the government in a country where the media is tightly controlled. Its president is said to be a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. While Xinhua was confirmed the development in Beijing, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) chose not to officially comment on the issue.

The decision to not renew the visas of Chinese journalists comes in the middle of a blow-up between the two nations over Beijing's role in blocking India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). India, a non-NPT signatory, has singled out China for creating "procedural hurdles" to block its membership. Beijing has stood its ground saying that NPT, which India refuses to sign, remained the cornerstone for international non-proliferation regime.