New Delhi today stated that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India and no amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality. In response to media queries regarding statements made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the issue of the detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh has been taken up strongly with the Chinese side.

The Indian citizen was holding a valid passport and transiting through Shanghai International Airport on her onward travel to Japan. Mr Jaiswal said that Chinese authorities have still not been able to explain their actions, which are in violation of several conventions governing international air travel. He further stated that the actions by the Chinese authorities also violate their own regulations that allow visa free transit up to 24 hours for nationals of all countries.