Kathmandu, May 9 (HS): On Friday, China issued a travel advisory on its official WeChat channel, urging its citizens to avoid the border areas between Nepal and India and to refrain from inadvertently entering India. The Chinese embassy in Nepal provided this advice in light of the increasing surveillance of the border.

There is a reciprocal visa-free policy between Nepal and India, allowing citizens of both countries to travel freely; however, citizens from third countries, including Chinese nationals, do not have visa exemptions for entering India through Nepal. The Chinese embassy has stated that Chinese citizens in Nepal should take this seriously and avoid blindly following local guides. The embassy emphasized adherence to the directive of not entering India without a valid Indian visa. This advisory was issued after four Chinese citizens, including a woman entering India through Raxaul from Birgunj in Nepal, were detained.

The embassy advised Chinese citizens to obtain Indian visas in advance and consider entering India by air rather than by land. If travel from Nepal to India is necessary, it recommended visa verification at the Indian immigration checkpoint. It also suggested strictly following the entry and exit regulations of Nepal and India and avoiding unnecessary difficulties by refraining from taking photos of Indian border areas, vehicles, etc.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar