Foreign Ministry pushing for veteran to come home

China's embassy in India has pushed India to complete entry and exit procedures in time for a Chinese veteran who has spent more than 50 years there to visit his family in China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said today.

Wang Qi, 80, is reportedly a Chinese army surveyor who entered India in 1963 but has not been able to go back to China since. The embassy issued a 10-year Chinese passport to Wang in 2013, and since then has been providing with him financial support every year, Lu said.

According to China's embassy in India, Ambassador Luo Zhaohui talked to Wang over the phone on Saturday, telling Wang that the embassy has maintained close contact with the Indian government over the issue of facilitating his trip to China to visit family members.

Luo said appropriate arrangements need to be made, considering that Wang is married and has children in India.

Wang said he has told the Indian government he wants to go back to China as soon as possible, and his wife and children support his plan to make the trip.

He said he feels sorry that he couldn't make it to China when his mother passed away years ago.

Lu reiterated: "We believe that under the joint effort by China and India, especially on the premise of respecting Mr Wang's wishes, the case will come to a satisfying end."