China: China has reportedly forced three Indian martial arts athletes from Arunachal Pradesh to pull out of the Asian Games, which will be held in Hangzhou, China. It comes as they didn’t receive clearance from the host country.
The three female athletes, participating as wushu fighters, hail from the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. This region is mostly claimed by Beijing as “South Tibet.”
The three athletes were given approval to participate by the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee, as per the report.
However, they faced difficulties in downloading their accreditation cards, which serve as entry visas to China.
In July 2023, the Indian wushu team chose not to attend the World University Games in the Chinese city of Chengdu. This decision came after the same three athletes received stapled visas instead of pasted ones, signalling Beijing’s non-recognition of India’s territorial claim over Arunachal Pradesh.
India strongly objected to this action, with the foreign ministry deeming it “unacceptable.”
Arunachal Pradesh is situated on the opposite side of the Himalayas from Tibet and has a shared Buddhist cultural heritage with its northern neighbour.
In 1959, the Dalai Lama escaped from the state after an unsuccessful uprising against Chinese rule in his homeland. Since then, he has resided in India.
Three years after the Buddhist leader fled, Beijing temporarily took control of most of the territory in a violent conflict.
This year, India strongly responded when China changed the names of 11 locations in the contested area. New Delhi consistently asserts that the state is and will forever remain an “integral and inalienable part of India.”
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