New Delhi: China on Tuesday (November 25) dismissed allegations of harassment following India's formal complaint about the detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh at the Shanghai airport, prompting India to issue a rebuttal asserting that “no amount of denial by the Chinese side” would change the reality that the state is an integral part of India.

In its first official response, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rejected China's characterisation of the incident. “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,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal late Tuesday night.

He said the issue had been “taken up strongly with the Chinese side” and noted that “Chinese authorities have still not been able to explain their actions, which are in violation of several conventions governing international air travel”.

Jaiswal added that China's actions also violated “their own regulations that allow visa free transit up to 24 hours for nationals of all countries”.

Earlier on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that “Zangnan is China's territory”, referring to the Chinese name for the Indian state.

Asked about the incident, she said China “has never recognised the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India”.

She added that border inspection authorities had followed “checks procedures in accordance with laws and regulations” and that law enforcement was “impartial and non-abusive”.

Mao said the “lawful rights and interests” of the woman were “fully protected” and that “no compulsory measures were taken on her”. She also asserted there was no “so-called ‘detaining’ or ‘harassing’”, and that the airline had provided “resting facilities and meals”.

The diplomatic row erupted after Prema Wangjom Thongdok, an Arunachal Pradesh native now living in the UK, said she was held for more than 18 hours at Shanghai airport on November 21. She had been in transit to Japan when Chinese officials declared her Indian passport invalid, claiming the state was part of China.

On Monday, Indian official sources said a “strong demarche was made with the Chinese side, in Beijing and in Delhi” on the day of the incident. They described the detention as being based on “ludicrous grounds” and reiterated that “Arunachal Pradesh is indisputably Indian territory and its residents are perfectly entitled to hold and travel with Indian passports”.

Thongdok described being pulled from the queue by immigration officials during what should have been a routine three-hour stopover – a route she had travelled on without incident before.

She recounted how “one of the officials from the Chinese immigration came over and singled me out of the queue”. When she questioned the reason, officials told her, “Arunachal – not India, China-China, your visa is not acceptable. Your passport is invalid”.

The experience became more distressing when she sought answers. “When I tried to question them and ask them what the issue was, they said, 'Arunachal is not part of India' and started mocking and laughing and saying things like ‘you should apply for the Chinese passport, you're Chinese, you're not Indian’,” she said.

Thongdok contacted the Indian embassy in Beijing and consulate in Shanghai, who intervened on her behalf. “Within an hour, the Indian officials came to the airport, got me some food and spoke through the issues with them and helped me get out of the country. A very long ordeal, 18 hours, but glad that I'm out of there,” she said.

Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu stated that he was “deeply shocked” by the treatment of Thongdok. “Subjecting her despite a valid Indian passport to humiliation and racial mockery is appalling. Arunachal Pradesh is, and will always be an integral part of India. Any insinuation otherwise is baseless and offensive,” he posted on X.

This isn't the first such incident. China claims the entire state and has previously issued stapled visas to its residents, drawing Indian protests. In recent years, sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh have been denied visas for events in China.

Indian officials had warned that “such actions by the Chinese side introduce unnecessary obstructions” to normalising bilateral relations, which had been gradually improving since the four-year military standoff in eastern Ladakh was resolved.

Chinese ambassador to India Xu Feihong, speaking separately at a public interaction on Tuesday, said the border situation had been “generally stable” and that both sides had maintained “close communication” on the issue.

The ambassador acknowledged that the border issue “is very complex and it will indeed take time to resolve”, but expressed confidence that “as two ancient civilisations, China and India have sufficient wisdom and ability to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and find a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution”.

He also pointed to the momentum in people-to-people exchanges, noting the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage and direct flights between the two countries. 

“I hope the two sides will strengthen exchanges and cooperation in such fields as political parties, think tanks, youth, culture and education, and resume the mutual exchange of resident journalists as soon as possible,” he said, adding that he hoped to see more Chinese entrepreneurs and tourists visit India.

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