India’s strong reaction after China ‘detained’ Arunachal woman Pema Thongdok: ‘No amount of denial will change reality’

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

In a statement, the MEA on Tuesday rejected the Chinese response.

“Arbitrary actions by China, as the one that I referred to involving an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh, are most unhelpful towards efforts being made by both sides to build mutual trust and understanding, and gradually move towards normalisation of bilateral relations,” Jaiswal added.

“The issue of the detention 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. 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,” the MEA spokesperson had said.

VIDEO | On the Prema Thangdok case, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, “…we had issued a statement… Yesterday we made a statement, you would have seen that, regarding the arbitrary detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh, who was holding a valid passport and… pic.twitter.com/4oXuaI3PvA

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 26, 2025

The ties between India and China had come under severe strain following the eastern Ladakh border standoff that began in May, 2020. In the last few months, both sides have initiated a series of measures to normalise the relations after ending the military face-off in October last year.

“We want to say that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and this is a fact which is self-evident. No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality,” Jaiswal said.

He also asserted that “maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border regions is a prerequisite for the continued and overall development of India-China bilateral relations”. “Our position in this regard has always been very clear and consistent,” he said.

“Both sides have worked closely to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border regions. And it is on this basis that progress, especially in particular with a focus on people-centric engagements, has been made,” Jaiswal said.

India and China have in recent months agreed on several people-centric steps to stabilise and rebuild ties.

These include agreement to resume Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, resumption of direct flights, commemoration of 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations and visa facilitation, among others. The direct flights resumed in October.