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Source: The post is based on the article “What is a stapled visa, and why does China issue these to Indians from Arunachal and J&K?” published in Indian Express on 28th July 2023.
What is the News?
India has withdrawn its eight-athlete wushu contingent from the Summer World University Games beginning in China after China issued stapled visas to three athletes from the team who belong to Arunachal Pradesh.
What are Stapled Visas?
A stapled visa is simply an unstamped piece of paper that is attached by a pin or staples to a page of the passport and can be torn off or detached at will.
This is different from a regular visa that is affixed to the passport by the issuing authority and stamped.
The Chinese government began issuing ‘stapled visas’ to Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh in 2009.It says the visas are valid documents but the Government of India has consistently refused to accept this position.
Why does China issue Stapled Visa?
Passports and visas reinforce the concept of a nation-state’s sovereignty. It ensures that its citizens can travel with legal protection across borders.
China disputes India’s unequivocal and internationally accepted sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh. It challenges the legal status of the McMahon Line, the boundary between Tibet and British India that was agreed at the Convention Between Great Britain, China, and Tibet at the Simla Convention of 1914.
Hence, in this context, China makes periodic efforts to assert its unilateral claim over Indian territory and undermine the sovereignty of India over its territory by taking steps such as issuing stapled visas,
