India slams China for issuing ‘stapled visas’

NEW DELHI

India warned China on Thursday that it reserves the right to suitably respond after Beijing issuing “stapled visas” to Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh state, which China claims to be part of its territory.

In a weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that Beijing's move is “unacceptable.”

He was responding to a question on China's decision to issue stapled visas to three Indian wushu players.

“It has come to the government's notice that stapled visas were issued to some Indian citizens who were to represent the country at an international sporting event in China,” he said.

“This is unacceptable, and we have lodged our strong protest with the Chinese side, reiterating our consistent position on the matter, and India reserves the right to suitably respond to such actions,” he added.

The departure of India’s wushu team to Chengdu, China on Wednesday to participate in the World University Games was put on hold by the government over the matter.

A stapled visa is a type of visa that is attached to paper rather than being stamped into a passport.

Beijing issued stapled visas instead of normal visas to the players from Arunachal Pradesh to avoid recognizing the state they belonged to as part of India.

China claims nearly 90,000 square kilometers (34,749 square miles) of area in Arunachal Pradesh and calls it Zangnan or South Tibet. New Delhi rejects China’s claim and says the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.

China has also been issuing stapled visas to residents of Jammu and Kashmir for a similar reason.