Despite the negative publicity surrounding Indian nationals that occurred last week, the issues posed by this incident highlight the need for the nation to adopt a more direct approach to the issue of Arunachal Pradesh, and to seek to mitigate the political fallout it is currently experiencing. During the incident, Chinese immigration officials treated her with mockery, refused to accept her passport to allow entry into mainland China and stated that she should apply for a Chinese passport. Arunachal passport row, This resulted in a significant diplomatic point of confrontation and a renewed focus on the relationship between India and China as both nations continue to pursue an amicable resolution to the issues posed by this incident.
India exercised its right to intervene and take action, providing immediate assistance to the woman and facilitating her safe departure from mainland China. However, even while the Indian government denied all allegations, Arunachal passport row, China refuted the claims of the woman, asserting that its immigration officials acted within a lawful framework and that no wrongdoing had occurred. The incident has prompted renewed tensions regarding China’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh.
India–China Row Deepens After Beijing Rejects Arunachal Pradesh’s Status
There was a strong reaction from India towards the incident, with India condemning China’s actions as unacceptable and emphasising Arunachal Pradesh as a legitimate part of the country, and that people from Arunachal Pradesh carry fully legitimate Indian passports. According to New Delhi, actions taken by China contravened international aviation conventions under the Chicago and Montreal conventions (ICAO and IATA). Further, China, through a spokesman (Mao Ning), rejected the allegations made against it and stated that China does not acknowledge Arunachal Pradesh as a part of India.
The spokesman also stated that to the extent that they followed procedures as per their standard protocol at the border, they did not provide extraordinary assistance or special treatment to the person. Congress Party members were critical of the Chinese Government’s response and have called for a strong Indian Government response. Arunachal passport row Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu also expressed great annoyance that this individual had been treated in such a manner; that they had experienced an affront to India’s dignity.
Details of the incident at the Shanghai Airport
The victim of this incident was Thongdok, who is an Indian citizen living in the UK and travelling from London to Japan with a stopover in Shanghai. According to Thongdok, she singled out from the rest of the passengers; her identity mocked, and she repeatedly told by the Chinese authorities at the airport that Arunachal Pradesh is part of China. She has alleged that she treated in a humiliating manner by the airline, China Eastern Airlines. The officials at the airport kept her for hours while they questioned her identification documents and she was not able to reach out to her family. India’s consulate in Shanghai acted quickly to resolve this issue for her and enabled her to continue to Japan after her long wait.
Why the incident triggered a strong diplomatic response
The Government of India considered the event as an ongoing effort by China to undermine the sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh. The Government responded immediately with an official aret (demarche) and made it clear that it considered China’s actions to violate international law. According to Government officials, China cannot claim that any document issued by them can be questioned or have limited validity based on their claimed borders. In addition to being an issue of the right of the Government of India to determine the validity of its passports, the Government also stated that such an action by China would create problems with the free and safe movement of Indian citizens. According to the Congress Party of India, the statements by China regarding the incident constituted an insult and demanded that the Government of India respond strongly. https://www.icao.int/
The larger geopolitical context
The incident must also be viewed in the context of the larger geopolitics of the region. For many years, India has not recognised China’s attempts to rename or claim control of any part of Arunachal Pradesh as valid. Government officials continue to maintain that there are no legal or historical grounds for making such claims. The Shanghai Incident took place during a time when the two countries were attempting to improve their relations, and it represented a reaffirmation of India’s firm commitment to maintaining its territorial integrity and willingness to respond to any challenge it may face.
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