Sixteen Chinese nationals have been given Indian citizenship since 2007 and the applications of 10 are pending, the Home Ministry told parliament today.
"As per data available in the online citizenship module, 10 applications of Chinese nationals are pending for grant of citizenship. Further, 16 Chinese nationals have been granted Indian citizenship since 2007. Only nationality wise data is maintained. Community-wise data is not maintained," Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in a written statement.
The Home Ministry was responding to a query by DMK's Tiruchi Siva on asylum and citizenship requests of communities from China, including Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongolians and other democratic dissidents since 2019.
Mr Rai in his reply said India was not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention on the status of refugees and a 1967 protocol based on this.
"All foreign nationals (including asylum seekers) are governed by the provisions contained in The Foreigners Act, 1946, The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and The Citizenship Act, 1955. Data on requests for asylum is not centrally maintained," the Home Ministry said.
Officials have, however, said India has not offered asylum to the Uyghur community, which faces repression at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.
Human rights abuses against Chinese President Xi Jinping's party against Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang have drawn international condemnation. Turkey is among the Muslim countries which has granted asylum to more than 30,000 Uyghurs.
Government data shows India cancelled a visa granted to Uyghur activist Dolkun Isa to attend a conference in Dharamsala after protest by China, officials said on Monday.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to visit India later this month. He is likely to be in Nepal before his India visit. India and China have continued military-level talks to resolve the Ladakh situation without much success.
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