‘Provide assurances’ Indian citizens will not be targeted ‘selectively’ while travelling or transiting through China: MEA to Beijing

Reaffirming India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday (December 8, 2025) urged Chinese authorities to “provide assurances” that Indian citizens will not be targeted “selectively” while they “travel” or “transit” through China.

The remarks from the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, came approximately a fortnight after an Indian citizen was detained in Shanghai International Airport, where Chinese authorities refused to recognise her Indian passport as she hailed from Arunachal Pradesh.

In addition, the Ministry advised Indian nationals to exercise “due discretion” while transiting through China. 

“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 by the Chinese side,” said Mr. Jaiswal. “The MEA would advise Indian nationals to exercise due discretion while travelling to or transiting through China.”

Official sources said that Monday’s statement which came during a weekly press briefing indicated that New Delhi is displeased by China’s repeated assertions over Arunachal Pradesh. An official source said Monday’s statement was aimed at reminding China of India’s “firm” position on Arunachal Pradesh, which includes the ancient Buddhist region of Tawang as well as vast segments of the Eastern Himalayas, which are an indispensable source of water for eastern and northeastern India.

The possibility of harassment of Indian nationals in Chinese airports had grown after Pema Thongdok of Arunachal Pradesh announced on social media on November 23 that she was detained at Shanghai airport for “over 18 hours”. “I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hours on 21^st November, 2025 over claims by China immigration and @Chinaeasternair that my Indian passport was invalid as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh which they claimed is Chinese territory,” said Ms. Thongdok.

Responding to the development, Mr. Jaiswal had said on November 26 that “arbitrary actions” by China are “most unhelpful” in nurturing “people-centric” initiatives. He emphasised that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inalienable part of India and this is a fact that is self-evident. No amount of denial by the Chinese side will change this indisputable reality.”