New Delhi: India on July 23 expelled three journalists of Chinese official news agency, Xinhua, by refusing to renew their visas to work in the country.

The three have been ordered to leave India by July 31. Wu Qiang heads Xinhua’s bureau in New Delhi while Lu Tang the Mumbai office. The third, She Yonggang, is a reporter based in Mumbai.

No official reason was given for the Indian government’s decision. However, sources told The Hindustan Times that said the three had come under the “adverse attention of security agencies” for allegedly indulging in activities beyond their journalistic brief.

The sources, however, said the action did not imply that Xinhua journalists are not welcome in India. “The agency can replace them with others. There is nothing here to construe that Xinhua has to wind up its news operations in India,” a source said.

The decision comes at a time when relations between New Delhi and Beijing have been under strain following China’s refusal last month to back India’s bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Beijing has been wary of New Delhi’s growing bonhomie with Washington.

Non-renewal of visas is a common practice followed by governments to expel foreign journalists whose writing is seen as critical of official policy.

Wu has been working in India for seven years while the other two were posted in Mumbai last year. Xinhua works directly under the jurisdiction of the State Council, or the Chinese Cabinet, headed by Premier Li Keqiang.

The two countries have a history of delaying granting of journalist visas, but this is possibly the first time that an extension or renewal of visas has been denied.

The journalists’ visas had expired earlier this year but they were asked to wait. However, their passports were returned to them without the visa, effectively ensuring that they could not move out of the cities of residence.

On July 14, all three were informed that they had to leave India by July 31 as their visas will not be renewed.

Analysts said the possibility of China carrying out tit-for-tat expulsions of Indian-journalists could not be ruled out.

Five Indian journalists work out of Beijing at present. Additionally, a number of Indians work for China’s English state media like China Central Television, China Daily and China Radio International.

Two more New Delhi-based Indian journalists are currently on a fellowship to China at the invitation of the communist government.