Visa row: Chinese experts slam Indian media

Seeking to downplay the visa row with India, Chinese experts have said that military ties between the two countries are strong and powerful and will not be "compromised" by incidents like Beijing's refusal to permit a top Indian Army officer to visit the country.

Also Read: Why China denied the general a visa

Days after a row erupted between the two countries over China's refusal to grant visa to Northern Commander Lt Gen B S Jaswal as he is in-charge of "sensitive" Jammu and Kashmir, Chinese official media carried reports about the denial of visa on Monday.

Two official English dailies -- China Daily and Global Times -- carried reports with comments from experts attached to official think tanks.

"The relations and trust between the two countries are very powerful," Rong Ying, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies told the China Daily.

Rong blamed the Indian media for "sensationalising" certain issues between the two countries at the expense of facts.

"The Indian press should be more objective and sensible when reporting both countries' relations, especially about concerned disputes," he said.

Such reports also reflect a misunderstanding of "the complexity of Sino-Indian relations," he said.

Li Daguang, a military specialist with the University of National Defence, also told the Daily that "the defence exchanges between China and India will not be stalled and so far as I know, the exchanges between the two countries are ongoing and deepening."

India has put off all its military exchanges with China in protest till visa issue is resolved. However, Chinese Defence Ministry said that it has not halted military exchanges with India.

There is no reaction from the Chinese Foreign ministry yet.

Fu Xiaoqiang, a professor on South Asia affairs at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that border and military issues between India and China are quite sensitive, and both sides should handle them carefully.

"I don't think the latest visa row between the two countries will have a big impact on bilateral relations," Fu said.

"The rise of the two large countries will definitely bring some clashes. And it will take some time for China and India to establish full trust toward each other. But it is dialogue rather than confrontation that can improve mutual understanding," Fu said.