China has angered India by issuing unorthodox visas to two Indians from a border state claimed by Beijing, the latest flare-up of a territorial dispute festering between the Asian giants. India's foreign ministry said on Thursday it had seen reports that an Indian athlete and his coach from the remote north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, on the Chinese border, were issued visas on papers stapled to their passports.
Chinese visas are normally stamped into Indian passports. The state is one of the biggest issues of contention between the fast-growing Asian nations who are competing for global influence and resources. China and India still claim vast swathes of each other's territories along their 3,500 km (2,173 mile) Himalayan border which has largely remained peaceful since a 1962 war.