Not Chinese App, But Technicians, Engineers; India To Fast-Track China Visas And The Reason Is...

In a major good news for Chinese technicians and engineers, India, the world's fastest-growing economy, is likely to tighten the bolt of delays in visas to Chinese workers after companies complained that it was hurting the country's aim of becoming a manufacturing hub globally. Companies felt the restriction that escalated due to the border crisis between India and China, has been impacting their growth.

One of the key problems the companies faced was of delay in visas to Chinese technicians.

India and China have been in a cold border crisis since 2020, which led to massive restrictions on the usage of Chinese products. For instance, hundreds of Chinese apps including the famous TikTok have been banned in India, while approvals for visas and investments from China slowed down. Not just that direct flights between the two countries have also been trimmed.

As per a Bloomberg report, local media estimated that India issued just 2,000 visas to Chinese nationals in 2024 from about 200,000 before the pandemic in 2019.

The report further revealed that upon the issue faced by the companies, the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade is looking to prepare a framework that will fast-track visas for engineers and technicians needed to install Chinese-made machines in Indian factories.

The framework will most likely reduce the process of China visas to within 30 days from earlier 4-5 months, as per the report.

There have been talks of resolving the border crisis, however, the solution is far from reality. New Delhi continues to insist that normalcy between India and China could only be attained until the dispute is settled.

It needs to be noted that the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Promotion of Industry have not made any official comments on the same. And GoodReturns.I could not confirm the same.

As per IBEF, propelled by growth in priority sectors and driven by favourable megatrends, India's manufacturing sector has opened itself to new geographies and segments. Building on the competitive advantage of a skilled workforce and lower cost of labour, the manufacturing sector is also witnessing an increased inflow of capex and heightened M&A activity, leading to a surge in manufacturing output and resultant increased contribution to exports. ​

Further, IBEF data revealed that India's manufacturing sector is poised to reach US$ 1 trillion by 2025-26, led by Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, fueled by investments in automobile, electronics, and textile industries. Government initiatives like Make in India and PLI schemes drive growth, attracting FDI and enhancing industrial infrastructure.​

Also, in the financial year 2023-24, India's merchandise exports touched $ 437.06 billion, down from US$ 451.07 billion in the previous fiscal.