China said on Monday it regretted that two Indian athletes were prevented from attending a competition in China but said it has been flexible in handling the issue.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing, "We regret that the two young Indian athletes could not come to participate in the relevant competition."

Hua was responding to a question concerning a Chinese air carrier which prevented two archers from "Arunachal Pradesh," a disputed border region, from travelling to China last week.

According to media reports, the athletes were issued visas on a separate paper. The airline company did not recognize the visas, according to the reports.

Hua said China's position on the eastern section of the China-India border has been clear and consistent and the related measures it took were to facilitate travel by people from both sides in the absence of a resolution to the border dispute.

"China has shown sincerity and flexibility on handling the visa issue," said Hua, calling on the Indian side to work with China to maintain the good momentum of visitor exchanges and cooperation between the two nations.