India Affirms Arunachal Pradesh's Status Following Shanghai Airport Detention Incident

Randhir Jaiswal emphasized that India expects China to comply with established international aviation protocols.

New Delhi:

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has firmly reiterated India's definitive position on Arunachal Pradesh as the matter gains renewed focus.

During a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal declared, "We have stated many times that Arunachal Pradesh is and will remain an integral part of India, and we do not want any interference in it."

Connecting the territorial matter to recent events, the MEA issued a precautionary advisory for Indian travelers visiting or transiting through China. This advisory follows the detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh at Shanghai airport last month.

Jaiswal expressed that India expects China to adhere to established global aviation standards and voiced concern regarding the treatment of Indian nationals at Chinese airports.

"We fully share your concern following the recent incident at Shanghai airport that you have cited. We expect the Chinese authorities to provide assurances that Indian citizens transiting through Chinese airports will not be selectively targeted, arbitrarily detained or harassed and that regulations governing international air travel would be respected by the Chinese side. MEA would advise Indian nationals to exercise due discretion while travelling to or transiting through China," he stated.

The advisory was issued after an incident involving Prema Wangjom Thongdok, an Indian passport holder residing in the United Kingdom, who was stopped by immigration officials in Shanghai on November 21.

Officials allegedly questioned the legitimacy of her travel documents because her birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh, which they claimed was Chinese territory.

Thongdok was traveling from London to Japan with a brief stopover in Shanghai when the incident occurred. She subsequently shared her experience on social media after departing China.

On November 24, official sources confirmed that a "strong demarche was made with the Chinese side, in Beijing and in Delhi, on the same day the incident took place."

Following this, India filed a formal protest with officials, noting that "such actions by the Chinese side introduce unnecessary obstructions to the process" of enhancing bilateral relations.

Relations between New Delhi and Beijing had been gradually improving over the past year, particularly after measures taken to resolve the four-year military standoff in eastern Ladakh.