Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) China has denied a visa to an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer from Arunachal Pradesh, sparking a row close on the heels of a controversy over threats to two Indian traders involved in a financial dispute in the Chinese city of Yiwu.

Group Captain Panging, identified by his surname only, was part of the team scheduled to travel to Beijing from Jan 10.

Sources said the visa was denied by the Chinese embassy here without any reasons.

The 30-member team of the IAF, the army and the navy was to travel to China on a four-day visit for a bilateral defence exchange programme.

However, the visit was not called off till Friday night. The team is expected to be in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai.

The defence team is part of confidence building measures between the two sides and comes after a similar one by the Chinese military commanders last month.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as its territory and has been denying visa to those hailing from the northeastern state despite protests by India.

Beijing has also been denying visas to Jammu and Kashmir residents, sparking a diplomatic row between the two sides.

In 2010, the Chinese embassy denied a visa to then Lt. Gen. B.S. Jaswal, then head of the Northern Command because he was serving in Jammu and Kashmir.

The visit of the military team Jaswal was leading was cancelled and India also temporarily called off its defence exchanges with China.

However, the defence exchanges resumed this year after India sent a delegation in June.

Two Indian traders, who were holed up in a hotel in Yiwu, were released Wednesday after the Indian consulate intervened. They had been held captive by locals in Yiwu, a trading hub of China, as their Yemeni boss was absconding after erring on payment of dues running into millions of dollars.