The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that the absence of the Chinese delegation at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Washington was due to visa issues, urging the United States not to "weaponize" such documents to hinder normal international cooperation.

The IAC, also known as the Olympics of the space industry, opened on Monday. China, as an active advocate of multilateral cooperation in space exploration, attends the event every year.

Hua Chunying, spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said the Chinese delegation submitted a list of participants to the U.S. in July who sat for interviews on October 12. However they did not receive the visas as the conference began.

The spokesperson stressed that the visa problem is only the "tip of the iceberg" as the U.S. has been targeting Chinese scholars, students, entrepreneurs and scientists by denying them visas and delaying the processing of their visa applications for a long time.

Hua said such moves have thwarted normal people-to-people exchanges and infringed on the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese people involved.

She mentioned the opening speech by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence who claimed to "work closely with like-minded, freedom-loving nations, as we lead mankind into the final frontier" as the U.S. move was at odds not only with the conference's mission but also with the U.S. official's own statement.

The U.S. has repeatedly disregarded international obligations and disrupted normal international exchanges, Hua said, urging Washington to sincerely reflect on and earnestly correct its wrongdoing.

(Cover: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence addresses the audience during the opening ceremony of the 70th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), in Washington, D.C., the U.S., October 21, 2019. /VCG Photo)