India is unsafe, unclean and lacking appealing tourist attractions say some Chinese netizens while others claim “a deep-rooted hatred towards China among Indians, and travelling to India may be dangerous”.
These are some of the reactions to India’s decision to resume issuing tourist visas for Chinese nationals.
Others balked at the documents required for visas including a bank guarantee of 100,000 yuan (more than INR 12 lakhs) or a bank statement showing a minimum balance of 100,000 yuan over the last six months. Netizens argued that they would rather visit France and Italy if they had that kind of money.
“I won’t go for a million dollars”, one user posted on Weibo.
The crash of an Air India flight in Ahmedabad also figured in the discourse on Weibo, with concerns being raised about aviation safety standards in India and training of pilots.
Adding to this, Chinese social media platforms are often seen circulating some bizarre or sensational incidents from Indian streets in an apparent attempt to portray India in a negative light. Many of these posts and comments from netizens suggest limited and often stereotypical understanding of India within Chinese society, even in the 21st century.
This may be deliberate and intended to put India down, show it in a poor light.
