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India's sports minister's scheduled trip to the Asian Games in Hangzhou was canceled on Friday after Chinese authorities refused to grant recognition and entry to Indian athletes from a region claimed by Beijing.

According to Indian media reports, three female martial arts athletes from Arunachal Pradesh, India, have been approved by the Hangzhou Asian Organizing Committee to participate in this sports event.
However, the Hindustan Times reported that the martial arts athletes faced difficulties in downloading the authentication cards that serve as visas to enter China.
Beijing claims almost the entire northeastern region of Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "South Tibet."
Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that China had "targeted and premeditated" discrimination against Indian athletes. He added that China's actions violated the spirit of the Asian Games and the rules of the Asian Games, which clearly prohibit discrimination against participants from member countries.
India has lodged "strong protests" in both New Delhi and Beijing against "China's deliberate and selective efforts to hinder some of our athletes". As a result, the sports minister's event schedule was cancelled.
Wushu, also known as Kung Fu, is a multi-disciplinary martial art that originated in China.
The remaining members of the 10-member Indian team along with the coaching staff reportedly left for the Olympics in Hangzhou on Wednesday.
Ahead of India's foreign ministry statement, Wei Jizhong, a senior official at the Olympic Council of Asia, insisted that the three had been granted visas and were not banned from entry.
"I made it very clear: the Chinese government gave them visas and they can enter China," he told reporters. "But unfortunately, these athletes were not accepted for visas."
At a regular briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, spokesperson Mao Ning said in response to questions about the three people that China welcomes "athletes from all countries with legal documents" to participate in the Asian Games.
"The Chinese government does not recognize the so-called Arunachal region you mentioned," she added. "Southern Tibet is part of China."
Indian spokesman Bagchi retorted, "Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will remain an integral part of India."
The incident echoes a similar incident in July when the Indian martial arts team did not travel to Chengdu, China, to participate in the Universiade. The three athletes were issued stapled visas rather than sticker visas, a sign that Beijing does not recognize India's territorial claims to Arunachal Pradesh.
At the time, New Delhi's Ministry of Foreign Affairs deemed the move "unacceptable."
Arunachal Pradesh lies on the other side of the Himalayas from Tibet and shares a common Buddhist heritage with its northern neighbor.
The Dalai Lama has lived in India since he fled the state in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in his homeland.
Three years after the Buddhist leader fled, China briefly seized much of the territory in a bloody conflict.
Earlier this year, India strongly protested against China's renaming of 11 sites in disputed areas.
由于中国当局拒绝来自阿鲁纳恰尔邦的印度运动员入境,亚运会取消
印度体育部长原定参加杭州亚运会的行程于周五被取消,原因是中国当局拒绝承认来自北京声称拥有主权的地区的印度运动员并让其入境。
据印度媒体报道,来自印度阿鲁纳恰尔邦的三名女武术运动员已获得杭州亚组委批准参加本次体育赛事。
然而,《印度斯坦时报》报道称,武术运动员在下载作为进入中国签证的认证卡时遇到了困难。
北京声称拥有几乎整个阿鲁纳恰尔邦东北部地区的主权,并称之为“藏南”。
印度外交部发言人阿林达姆·巴格奇表示,中国对印度运动员进行“有针对性、有预谋”的歧视。 他补充说,中国的行为违反了亚运会精神和亚运会规则,其中明确禁止歧视成员国参赛者。
印度在新德里和北京均提出“强烈抗议”,反对“中国蓄意、有选择性地阻碍我们的一些运动员”。 结果,体育部长的活动日程被取消。
武术,又称功夫,是起源于中国的一门多学科武术。
据报道,由10人组成的印度队的其余成员以及教练组将于周三启程前往杭州参加奥运会。
在印度外交部发表声明之前,亚洲奥林匹克理事会高级官员魏纪中坚称,这三人已获得签证,并未被禁止入境。
“我说得很清楚了:中国政府给了他们签证,他们可以进入中国,”他对记者说。 “但不幸的是,这些运动员没有获得签证。”
在北京举行的外交部例行吹风会上,发言人毛宁在回答有关三人的提问时表示,中国欢迎“拥有合法证件的各国运动员”参加亚运会。
“中国政府不承认你提到的所谓阿鲁纳恰尔地区,”她补充道。 “藏南是中国的一部分。”
印度发言人巴格奇反驳说,“阿鲁纳恰尔邦过去、现在、将来仍然是印度不可分割的一部分。”
这一事件与7月发生的类似事件相呼应,当时印度武术队没有前往中国成都参加大运会。 这三名运动员获得的是订书钉签证,而不是贴纸签证,这表明北京不承认印度对阿鲁纳恰尔邦的领土主张。
当时,新德里外交部认为此举“不可接受”。
阿鲁纳恰尔邦位于喜马拉雅山与西藏的另一边,与其北方邻国有着共同的佛教传统。
1959 年,达赖喇嘛在祖国反抗中国统治的起义失败后逃离印度,此后一直居住在印度。
这位佛教领袖逃亡三年后,中国在一场血腥冲突中短暂占领了大部分领土。
今年早些时候,印度强烈抗议中国在争议地区重新命名11个地点。
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