In a statement issued today by Indian Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, India's Ministry of External Affairs said that some Indian players from the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh have been denied entry to the 19th Asian Games in China;

"The Government of India has learnt that the Chinese authorities have discriminated against some Indian athletes from the state of Arunachal Pradesh in a targeted and pre-planned manner, denying their accreditation and entry into the 19th Asian Games being held in Hangzhou, China.

India firmly rejects differential treatment of its citizens on the basis of place of residence or ethnic origin. Arunachal Pradesh is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.

MINISTER CANCELS PLANNED VISIT TO CHINA

A strong protest was organised in New Delhi and Beijing against China's deliberate and selective blocking of some of our athletes. China's action violates both the spirit of the Asian Games and the rules that explicitly prohibit discrimination against competitors from member countries. Furthermore, as a sign of our protest against China's action, the Indian Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports has cancelled his planned visit to China for the Games."

Declared a state by India in 1987, Arunachal Pradesh has been a source of tension between China and India over a border dispute and China has consistently refused to issue stamped visas to Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh, citing the territorial dispute.  

TENSION BETWEEN INDIA AND CANADA

After the murder of separatist Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whom India held responsible for some murders and labelled as a terrorist, in Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held the Indian government responsible for the murder. The tension between the two countries reached the point of expulsion of senior diplomats and the Indian government suspended the issuance of visas to Canadians.