India on Wednesday criticised China’s “arbitrary actions” after an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh was detained for 18 hours at Shanghai airport. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the incident as counterproductive to efforts aimed at building mutual trust between the two nations.

The MEA spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stressed that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inalienable” part of India, emphasising that China’s refusal to recognise this fact "will not alter this indisputable reality."

This response came following the detention of Pema Wang Thongdok, who was held during a transit stopover on 21 November after Chinese immigration officials questioned the validity of her Indian passport, citing her place of birth.

China’s foreign ministry rebutted these allegations, asserting that the detention was conducted in accordance with established regulations and reiterated its territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh. India’s MEA firmly rejected this stance, describing China’s action as "unhelpful" and harmful to the ongoing attempts to normalise relations.

Relations between India and China have been under significant stress since the border standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020. Although the military face-off officially ended in October last year, tensions linger, and bilateral ties continue to recover slowly.

The MEA highlighted that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border remains a crucial precondition for the overall development of India-China relations. Jaiswal reaffirmed that India's position on Arunachal Pradesh has remained consistent and unequivocal, signalling that diplomatic efforts should be built upon mutual respect for sovereignty.

In recent months, both sides have engaged in a series of confidence-building measures aimed at improving people-to-people contact and stabilising relations.

These include the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, restarting direct flights between the countries, commemoration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, and enhanced visa facilitation processes.

Direct flights, which resumed in October, represent a significant step towards reconnecting civil aviation links disrupted by earlier tensions. The MEA’s statement emphasised that such steps are promising but fragile, requiring an atmosphere of goodwill to progress further.

The detention episode risks undermining these advances by breeding distrust, according to Indian officials. They called for a renewed focus on collaboration, warning that continued arbitrary actions by either side would hamper the hard-won gains achieved through diplomatic dialogue.

India’s call to China underscores the importance of peaceful coexistence along disputed borders as foundational to normalising relations. The MEA reiterated the urgency of fostering such an environment before any meaningful progress can be realised in this complex bilateral relationship.

Based On PTI Report