India on Tuesday strongly condemned the “arbitrary detention” of its citizen at Shanghai International Airport and outrightly rejected China’s remarks regarding the status of Arunachal Pradesh.
Arunachal Pradesh remains an “integral and inalienable” part of India, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.
India’s reaction came after a woman from Arunachal Pradesh, Prema Wangjom Thongdok, was allegedly detained at Shanghai airport for 18 hours after Chinese authorities refused to recognise her Indian passport.
Terming the incident a violation of international norms and bilateral understanding, Jaiswal said the matter has been taken up strongly with the Chinese side.
“Chinese authorities have yet to provide any credible justification for their actions, which contravene established international air travel conventions and their own visa-free transit policy,” he said.
The MEA spokesperson also dismissed the Chinese foreign ministry’s remarks on Arunachal Pradesh, saying the northeast state remains an integral part of India.
"Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and this is a self-evident fact. No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality," he said.
Thongdok, who hails from Rupa in West Kameng district and has lived in the UK for many years, was travelling from London to Japan for a vacation on November 21 when the alleged incident took place.
The woman claimed that she had faced “harassment” from Chinese immigration officials and noted that her 18-hour ordeal came to an end with the help of officials from India's missions in Shanghai and Beijing.
India issued a strong demarche to the Chinese side, both at the Embassy in New Delhi and the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, over the incident.
Meanwhile, China has denied allegations of harassment, claiming that the border checks were conducted strictly “in accordance with laws and regulations.”
“During the entire time, China’s border inspection authorities carried out checks procedures in accordance with laws and regulations… no compulsory measures were taken on her, and there was no so-called ‘detaining’ or ‘harassing’,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
She, however, reiterated China’s long-standing claim on Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls Zangnan or South Tibet. “Zangnan is China’s territory, and China does not recognise the so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established by India,” Mao said.