India Advises Caution For Travellers To China, Seeks Fresh Assurances | World News

New Delhi: While India issued a new advisory on Monday urging citizens traveling to China to exercise caution, it also asked Beijing to provide assurances that Indian citizens will not face any harassment or improper scrutiny at Chinese airports. The move comes after it was reported that a woman from Arunachal Pradesh was detained at Shanghai airport, prompting New Delhi to seek clarity and stronger security measures for its passengers.

According to reports, New Delhi lodged a strong protest with Beijing after a woman from Arunachal Pradesh was detained at Shanghai airport on November 21 by authorities who declared her Indian passport invalid.

Expressing concern about the incident in Shanghai, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in his weekly briefing that Indians traveling to or transiting through China should be careful. He said New Delhi expects Beijing to provide assurances that Indian citizens will not face selective targeting, arbitrary detention or harassment at Chinese airports and that international travel norms will be fully adhered to.

These remarks came after Pema Wangjom Thongdok, a woman from Arunachal Pradesh, said she was detained by Shanghai airport immigration officials for more than 18 hours. He claimed that he was made fun of during the interrogation and was even told to apply for a Chinese passport.

Thongdok, who lives in the United Kingdom, was traveling to Japan for holidays, planning a three-hour layover in Shanghai. He said he was barred from boarding a China Eastern Airlines connecting flight even though he had a valid Japanese visa. According to him, the ordeal only ended with the intervention of Indian authorities.

People familiar with the development described the incident as “unfortunate”, especially at a time when India and China have resumed direct flights after nearly five years. They noted that incidents like this create unnecessary obstacles to broader efforts to stabilize ties after a prolonged military standoff along the Line of Actual Control.

Both countries agreed to leave in October 2024, followed by a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. At this meeting, the two leaders agreed to revive the mechanisms for managing the border issue and advance the process of normalizing bilateral relations.

New Delhi’s Reaction

New Delhi has repeatedly rejected Beijing’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, arguing that the northeastern state is an integral and inalienable part of India.

Following Thongdok’s detention in Shanghai, the foreign ministry took a strong stance against Chinese officials in both Beijing and New Delhi. The Indian Consulate in Shanghai also forwarded the matter to local authorities. Officials familiar with the matter said India had made clear that Thongdok’s detention was “unfounded” as Arunachal Pradesh is undisputed Indian territory and its residents have the right to carry Indian passports and travel.

They stated that China’s actions violated international civil aviation norms under the Chicago and Montreal Conventions.

For years, Beijing has taken various steps to strengthen its claims over Arunachal Pradesh, from issuing stapled visas to its residents to publishing maps depicting the state as Chinese territory and renaming numerous towns and geographical features as “South Tibet”. India has consistently rejected all such moves.