The North News
New Delhi, November 26
India has reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inalienable” part of the country, saying no amount of denial from China can alter this “self-evident and indisputable” fact. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued the statement after China’s foreign ministry commented on the detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh at Shanghai International Airport. The woman, who held a valid Indian passport, was in transit en route to Japan. “We have seen the statements made by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the arbitrary detention of an Indian citizen,” the MEA said, adding that the matter has been “taken up strongly” with Beijing.
According to the ministry, Chinese authorities have yet to explain their actions, which India says violate international air-travel conventions as well as China’s own rules that permit visa-free transit for all foreign nationals for up to 24 hours.
