China’s arbitrary actions unhelpful in stabilising ties: MEA on Arunachal row

Arbitrary actions by China are “most unhelpful” towards efforts being made by both countries to build mutual trust and normalise bilateral ties, ministry of external affairs said on Wednesday, referring to the recent detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh at the Shanghai airport by Chinese authorities who declared her Indian passport invalid claiming “the northeastern state was part of Chinese territory”.

- Rahul Singh

Randhir Jaiswal

“Arbitrary actions by China involving an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh are most unhelpful towards efforts being made by both sides to build mutual trust and understanding, and gradually move towards normalisation of bilateral relations,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly media briefing.

Prema Wangjom Thongdok, a UK-based Indian citizen, who was travelling from London to Japan on November 21, claimed her three-hour scheduled layover turned into a traumatising ordeal after immigration personnel declared her passport invalid because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.

Arunachal Pradesh, Jaiswal reiterated, was an integral and inalienable part of India and no amount of denial by China will alter the indisputable reality. The MEA made that assertion on Tuesday too, hours after China reiterated its claim over the territory while refuting allegations that an Indian woman was harassed at the Shanghai airport.

Jaiswal touched upon how peace and tranquillity in the border regions was a prerequisite for the continued and overall development of India-China bilateral relations, in response to a question on the ongoing talks under the Special Representatives mechanism.