Beijing - In the midst of China's refusal to issue visas to three Wushu athletes hailing from Arunachal Pradesh for the 19th Asian Games, Zha Liyou, the Consul General of China in Kolkata, expressed Beijing's willingness to collaborate with India in implementing the agreements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Their goal is to enhance dialogue and foster the development of bilateral relations on a "stable and healthy trajectory."

During an event commemorating China's 74th founding anniversary, Zha emphasized the pivotal importance of maintaining a "stable and healthy" relationship between India and China, underscoring its fundamental benefit to both nations. He stated, "A stable and healthy China-India relationship is in the fundamental interest of both countries and their peoples. The common development and revitalization of the two countries is related to the future of us, of Asia and of the world."

While addressing the gathering, Zha noted, "Our relationship is generally stable. Our leaders maintain dialogue and communication. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi had two face-to-face interactions in the past year and reached an important consensus on stabilizing our relations, providing guidance for the development of our bilateral relations."

He went on to say, "China is willing to work with India to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of our two countries, strengthen dialogue and communication, overcome interference difficulties and promote the development of bilateral relations on a healthy and stable track."

Zha also emphasized China's willingness to collaborate with all parties, including India, to play a role in global peace building. He highlighted the extensive history and geographical proximity of the two nations, underscoring their significance as the only two major countries with populations exceeding 1 billion. He stated, "We are important emerging economies with a broader development prospect. The friendly exchanges between the peoples of China and India have a long history and will have long centuries to go."

Regarding India's recent success with the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission, Zha expressed his excitement and pride, describing it as an achievement for all of humanity.

When questioned about China's denial of visas to the three athletes for the Asian Games, he referred to the event as a gathering of the Asian family and suggested reaching out to the Chinese Embassy for specifics.

In response to China's refusal to grant visas, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur criticized the action as discriminatory and contrary to the Olympic Charter. He declared it unacceptable and canceled his planned trip to China in protest. Thakur reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and emphasized that the denial of participation to athletes from the region is unjustifiable. The three athletes from Arunachal Pradesh were originally slated to compete in individual matches during the Asian Games.