Indian government to speed up visa issuance for Chinese technicians: Report

The NDA government is trying to speed up the process of issuing visas for Chinese technicians in a bid to make up for the delays at manufacturing units that have hindered investments running into billions of dollars.

Government officials said that the plan to speed up the visa approvals is backed by the trade ministry and is being considered "positively" by the foreign ministry, news agency Reuters reported. This is despite its initial reservations over the four-year problems with China, a government official said.

In 2020 due to a deadly border clash between India and China, the Indian government implemented stringent measures against China. These actions included the prohibition of hundreds of Chinese apps, delays in approvals for Chinese investments and visas, and a reduction in direct flights between the two nations. Reports from local media suggested a significant decline in the issuance of visas to Chinese nationals, dropping to a mere 2,000 in 2024 compared to approximately 200,000 prior to the pandemic in 2019.

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is trying to formulate a framework along with the ministries of Home and External Affairs that would fast-track visas for engineers and technicians needed to install Chinese-made machines in Indian factories. The officials are aiming to reduce the visa processing time to 30 days or less from the previous period of 4-5 months.

The government's reluctance to approve visas has led to significant production losses, with the electronics manufacturing sector alone facing a staggering loss of $15 billion over the past four years, as reported by the Economic Times, showing an industry estimate.

These production losses are primarily attributed to the lack of technicians available to operate Chinese-made machinery that is vital in Indian high-tech manufacturing units across various industries, including telecom, steel, and solar.

 Last month, media reports said that the solar manufacturing business of the Adani Group had approached the Centre to clear the visas of 30 engineers from China. These engineers could help build a robust and indigenous supply chain of solar equipment for the infrastructure-to-mining conglomerate. 
    
In its submission to the government, the Adani Group company has cited eight foreign partners, exclusively from China, as its original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and supply chain vendors. The company has procured Chinese equipment valued at Rs 591 crore during the fiscal year 2021-22 and Rs 180 crore in 2022-23. Mundra Solar Technology Ltd (MSTL), the solar manufacturing entity operated by Adani Solar, has set an objective to establish 10 gigawatts (Gw) of integrated solar manufacturing capacity by the year 2027.

In February, Adani Solar applied for visas for 15 Chinese nationals to work at its solar manufacturing facility, and in March, it requested visas for an additional 13 Chinese nationals. These engineers are currently employed by Chinese companies that are part of Adani Solar's solar supply chain, as per media reports. 

In its submission to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Adani Solar highlighted that its solar business as a component of the Make in India initiative.