'Arunachal Pradesh an integral part of India': Foreign ministry slams China’s remark

India on Tuesday rejected China's response to the detention of an Indian national from Arunachal Pradesh at the Shanghai airport, and asserted that the border state is an integral part of the country.

Pema Wang Thongdok alleged that Chinese immigration officials at the airport detained her for 18 hours on November 21 during a transit halt after refusing to recognise her Indian passport as her birthplace was Arunachal Pradesh.

The Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday rejected the allegations, saying the actions were in accordance with the regulations. It also reiterated China's claim over Arunachal Pradesh.

"We have seen statements made by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the arbitrary detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh, who was holding a valid passport and was transiting through Shanghai International Airport on her onward travel to Japan," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

"Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and this is a self-evident fact. No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality," he said.

Jaiswal said the issue of the detention of the Indian national has been taken up strongly with the Chinese side.

"Chinese authorities have still not been able to explain their actions, which are in violation of several conventions governing international air travel," he said.

"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," he added.

India has already lodged a strong protest with China over the incident.

In a series of social media posts, Thongdok said Chinese immigration officials at the Shanghai airport detained her for 18 hours on the grounds that her passport was "invalid" as her birthplace was Arunachal Pradesh.

"They called my Indian passport invalid as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh which they claimed is Chinese territory," she said.

A strong demarche (a formal diplomatic protest) was made with the Chinese side, in Beijing and in Delhi on the same day the incident took place, government sources said on Monday.