NEW DELHI: China’s refusal of visa to an IAS officer from Arunachal Pradesh evoked a strong reaction from the state’s chief minister Dorjee Khandu on Monday. Khandu, who was in the national Capital, said, “It is quite unfortunate that China refuses to accept the reality that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.” He asked the Centre to take up the issue with China at the appropriate level.

Following the denial of visa to an officer from AP, India has called off a visit of an entire group of over 100 IAS officers to China for a mid-career training programme. The team was to go for a two-week training to Beijing to understand the functioning of their administration.

The trip had been organised by Syracuse University together with China’s Academy of Social Sciences which had sent invitations to all officers on the list given by the Indian government. It was at the time when their passports went for Chinese Embassy for visa, the Embassy said they could not give visas to one of them, the one from Arunachal. China had refused visa in keeping with its stand that Arunachal was a part of its territory.

China has started playing hard ball on Arunachal since November last when, just ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s recent visit, its Ambassador to India Sun Yuxi triggered a diplomatic row contending Arunachal Pradesh as “Chinese territory”.