External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addresses the weekly media briefing in New Delhi on November 26, 2025. Photo: X/@MEEAIndia via PTI
Days after Chinese officials detained an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh at Shanghai International Airport, Randhir Jaiswal, an official spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs, said that “arbitrary actions” by China are “most helpful” in nurturing people-centric initiatives. Mr. Jaiswal further said that “peace and tranquility” on the India-China border is a “prerequisite” for developing ties.
Mr Jaiswal’s remarks came a day after the MEA said a “strong démarche” was sent to the Chinese side soon after the detention of Indian national Pem Wang Thongdok came to light.
“China’s arbitrary actions, as I mentioned earlier, involving an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh, are very counterproductive to both sides’ efforts to build mutual trust and understanding and gradually move towards normalization of bilateral relations,” Mr Jaiswal said.
Mr. Jaiswal emphasized that Arunachal Pradesh is “an integral and inalienable part of India and that is a self-evident fact. No amount of denial from the Chinese side will change this indisputable reality.”
He held for 18 hours
Ms Thongdok took to social media on Sunday (November 23, 2025) to announce that she had been detained at Shanghai airport: “On November 21, 2025, I was detained at Shanghai airport for over 18 hours due to claims by Chinese immigration and @chinaeasternair that my Indian passport is invalid because my place of birth is Arunachal Pradesh.”
On Wednesday, Mr. Jaiswal said, “Maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas is a prerequisite for the continued and comprehensive development of India-China bilateral relations. Our position in this regard has always been very clear and consistent. From October 2024, both sides are working closely together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.”
China Eastern Airlines commenced operations between Shanghai and Delhi on 9 November 2025 after the Indian and Chinese leaders met on 31 August 2025 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin. This led to a revival of air connectivity after five years. The two sides have taken a number of people-to-people initiatives since Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India on August 18-19, when both sides decided to open border trade through mountain passes. This was followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tianjin, where both sides agreed to resume “direct flights and visa facilitation” and issue “tourist visas”.
Published – 26 Nov 2025 22:36 IST
