China issues tit-for-tat advisory on visiting India ahead of Krishna's trip to Beijing

New Delhi/Beijing, June 4 (ANI): The Chinese Government has issued an advisory that cautions its citizens against travelling to India following protests over the increase in petrol prices.

It what appears to be a response to New Delhi issuing advisories warning Indian traders against doing business in the Chinese commodity hub of Yiwu, the Chinese Government advisory, which has been posted on that country's foreign ministry website and on the web site of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, warns about travel disruptions due to protests.

"According to Indian media reports, many places in India are witnessing protests and strikes due to the recent hike in oil prices. Railways and highway transport have either come to a halt due to strikes or have been impacted to different degrees," the advisory said.

"Some shops have closed. Presently, impacted areas include: Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Patna in Bihar, Allahabad and Varanasi in UP, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa etc," it said.

"The Chinese embassy in India would like to alert the Chinese citizens about this and request them to confirm their itinerary with related agencies to avoid delays. At the same time, during this period, they should be careful about personal safety and safeguard their personal belongings," it said.

Indian officials in Beijing have expressed surprise over the travel advisory, saying that China rarely puts out such advisories against India.

The June 1 advisory comes ahead of a two-day visit to Beijing by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on May 6 and 7.

It maybe recalled that the Indian embassy in Beijing had warned its traders about doing business with Yiwu, in view of three incidents of kidnappings of Indian traders by the local suppliers to settle trade disputes.

While one Indian trader Danish Qureshi was released and sent home two weeks ago, two others-Shyam Sunder Agrawal and Deepak Raheja-who was released from illegal custody of Chinese traders in January are stranded in Shanghai fighting their case in a Chinese court.

Their issue is expected to figure during Krishna's visit. (ANI)