India pulls out of annual sporting event in China over stapled visas for Arunachal Pradesh athletes

China has long refused to recognise India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh

Chinese President Xi Jinping poses for a photo with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo in Chengdu (EPA)

India has withdrawn from the World University Games to protest China’s decision to issue stapled visas to athletes from Arunachal Pradesh, a region along the disputed border on which Beijing stakes its claim.

China issued stapled, instead of stamped, visas to three athletes from the eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The move by Beijing was in line with its practice to issue unstamped visas to Indian nationals from Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

It is seen as China’s apparent attempt to indicate that it does not recognise India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as part of its territory of “South Tibet” or “Zangnan”.

The three sportspersons were part of an eight-athlete ‘Wushu’ martial arts contingent that was set to attend the Summer World University Games beginning in Chengdu, the annual sporting event being held after a hiatus of two years.

India’s foreign ministry on Thursday said it has lodged a “strong protest” with China after “stapled visas were issued to some of our citizens representing the country in an international sporting event in China”.

“This is unacceptable,” ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a regular press briefing. “India reserves the right to suitably respond to such actions.”

He said it has been a long-standing issue with China and India’s position has been consistent that “there should be no discrimination or differential treatment on the basis of domicile or ethnicity in the visa regime for Indian citizens holding valid Indian passports”.

The martial arts contingent was held back following the row over visas.

The latest diplomatic row between the two nuclear powered neighbours comes as ties between China and India have deteriorated over a bitter border dispute in the Himalayan region of Ladakh where armies came face to face on many points since 2020.

Arunachal Pradesh, which is governed by the Indian government and lies on a disputed 3,440km long de facto border called the Line of Actual Control, is contested by China as it remains poorly demarcated.

The region was part of China’s effort to rename 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh earlier in April.

The three players from Arunachal Pradesh who were given stapled visas are also part of India’s Asian Games, which is scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China. The games will kick off from 23 September.

While the Indian government has taken a strong stance against China on the row it is seen as a major blow to the aspirations of the martial arts squad that was hoping to secure medals at the Changadu and upcoming Hangzhou games.

Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium (back) and Tennis Centre (front) which will host competition at the Asian Games in Hangzhou (AFP via Getty Images)

But it is not the first time Indian players and nationals were refused a stamped visa by China. Stapled visas were issued to Jammu and Kashmir residents between 2008-09, according to reports.

In 2011, five karatekas from Arunachal Pradesh were allotted stapled visas for a sporting competition in Quanzhou.

Two years later, two archers from Arunachal Pradesh were given stapled vias for the Youth World Archery Championship in Wuxi and were held back by Indian authorities.