India protests after 3 athletes unable to enter China for Asian Games

India’s foreign ministry on Friday said it had lodged a protest with Beijing after three of the country’s athletes were unable to enter China to take part in the Asian Games under way in Hangzhou.

The three female martial arts athletes are from India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh – an area that is claimed by Beijing as Zangnan, or South Tibet.

Indian media reported that the trio had been approved to take part in the sporting event being held in the eastern Chinese city by the 19th Asian Games Organising Committee. But they were unable to download their accreditation cards, which act as visas to enter China.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China welcomed athletes from all countries with “valid legal documents”. Photo: EPA-EFE

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman on Friday said the country welcomed athletes from all countries “with valid legal documents”, suggesting Beijing did not recognise the Indian passports.

“The Chinese government has never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh, and the Zangnan region is part of Chinese territory,” spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular press conference in Beijing.

Meanwhile, a senior Olympic Council of Asia official denied the three athletes had been barred, saying they had been issued visas for the Hangzhou Asian Games.

“These Indian athletes already got a visa to enter China. China didn’t refuse any visa,” OCA honorary life vice-president Wei Jizhong, who is from China, told reporters in Hangzhou. “But unfortunately these athletes didn’t accept the visa.”

Medals, venues, events: a visual guide to Asian Games 2023 in China

In previous cases involving Indian athletes travelling to sports events in China, a “stapled visa” on a separate piece of paper has been issued to those originating from Arunachal Pradesh to avoid stamping their passports issued by the Indian government.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has previously issued travel warnings to Indian citizens, saying that China’s alternative paper visas were not valid at the time of exiting India.

02:46

China vows to host ‘frugal’ Asian Games amid economic concerns

There have long been disputes between the neighbouring countries over entry to China by residents from the Indian-controlled region. Beijing has always refused to issue visas to them, claiming they already live in Chinese territory.

The region on the southern side of the Himalayas shares strong ethnicity, culture, history and religious heritage with Tibet. In an agreement in 1914, the Tibetan local government agreed to a border – the McMahon Line – that demarcated the region to the side of British India. But the Chinese central government has always claimed the demarcation line was invalid.

The dispute remains unresolved. In 1962, the two countries fought a border war, with the People’s Liberation Army briefly occupying the region but unilaterally announcing a ceasefire and withdrawal later due to logistical difficulties. The Line of Actual Control now serves as the de facto China-India border and still occasionally sees skirmishes and confrontations.

In 1972, India established a North-East Frontier Agency in the region and renamed it an official state of Arunachal Pradesh in 1987.

South China Morning Post