On Friday, India strongly protested the decision of China to issue invalid visas to some Indian athletes for the Asian Games, India’s foreign ministry said in a statement, a day before the competition starts in Hangzhou.
According to India’s foreign ministry the three athletes, competing as wushu fighters from the state of Arunachal Pradesh, were issued stapled visas rather than stamped ones.
New Delhi does not accept stapled visas as valid. Beijing did not deny entry to the athletes, Wei Jizhong, chairman of the Olympic Council of Asia’s ethics committee, told reporters.
The method of issuing visas on loose sheets of paper has been noticed as China’s way of questioning India’s authority over Arunachal Pradesh, which is situated near the border between the two countries.
In objection, Anurag Thakur, India’s sports minister, canceled his visit to the competitions, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
While responding to a question about the Indian athletes, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters on Friday that the Chinese government has never acknowledged the so-called Arunachal Pradesh and the South Tibet region is part of China’s territory.
The Wushu Association of India and the Indian Olympic Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
China has issued stapled visas to residents of the Indian northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, claiming it to be part of China’s southern Tibet. India rejects the claim, stating Arunachal Pradesh has always been part of India.
Beijing and New Delhi have been tense neighbors for decades after a battle over their disputed Himalayan frontier in 1962. Links plunged in 2020 after a border conflict in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.
With more than 12,000 athletes from 45 countries competing across a program of 40 sports, the 19th Asian Games opens in Hangzhou on Saturday after a year’s pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
