CHINA-US: US DENIES VISA TO HEAD OF CHINA NATIONAL SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said (October 23) that a Chinese delegation had wanted to take part in the ongoing International Astronautical Congress being held in Washington.
China is an important participant in the congress and sends delegations every year, she added. China hosted the congress in 2013. Last year, it was held in Germany. China had applied for the visas in July, and on October 12 the delegation from the China National Space Administration went for visa interviews at the U.S. embassy, but Wu Yanhua, Vice Chairman of the China National Space Administration and head of delegation, did not get his visa till the congress began. Hua Chunying added “This caused the Chinese delegation to be unable to attend the opening of the International Astronautical Congress.” Hua Chunying said several other Chinese delegates also did not get visas. Wu Yanhua was the only official absent from a panel of other heads of space agencies from Germany, Russia, India, the United States, France and Japan.
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