MEA reaffirms Arunachal Pradesh as integral part of India following incident in China

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly reaffirmed India’s position that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country, following the detention of an Indian national at Shanghai airport.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated in a press briefing, “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.” The statement comes amid renewed attention on the territorial issue after an incident involving Prema Wangjom Thongdok, an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh.

Thongdok, who holds an Indian passport and is based in the United Kingdom, was travelling from London to Japan with a layover in Shanghai on November 21 when she was stopped by Chinese immigration authorities. Officials reportedly questioned the validity of her travel documents because her place of birth was listed as Arunachal Pradesh, which they claimed as Chinese territory. Thongdok later shared her experience on social media.

Jaiswal highlighted India’s concern over the treatment of its citizens at Chinese airports, urging China to adhere to established global aviation norms . He said, “We fully share your concern following the recent incident at Shanghai airport. 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.”

Following the incident, the MEA issued a cautionary advisory urging Indian nationals to exercise discretion while travelling to or transiting through China.

India took immediate diplomatic action, issuing a “strong demarche” with Chinese authorities in Beijing and Delhi on November 24 and lodging a formal objection. Officials pointed out that such actions by China create unnecessary obstacles to improving bilateral ties.

The incident comes at a time when India-China relations had been gradually improving, especially following measures to resolve the four-year military standoff in eastern Ladakh. The MEA’s statement underscores India’s firm stance on Arunachal Pradesh while signalling its readiness to take further measures to ensure the safe travel of Indian citizens to China.