China has sought details from India about its citizen who was apprehended from the Manipur-Myanmar border on suspicion of spying early this week. The Chinese embassy in New Delhi has also warned its people against venturing into restricted Indian territories saying illegal behaviour will not be tolerated.
The person identified as Qin Min Xiv Xiang (55), hailing from Fuzian province, was arrested by the Assam Rifles in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district a few days ago.
He was in possession of Chinese, Vietnamese and Myanmarese documents besides foreign currencies, a pen drive and a compass. News reports claimed that Qin was apprehended following inputs on the movement of a suspected Chinese intelligence operative agent attempting to infiltrate into India from Myanmar through a track near T Minao village.
The Chinese Government has sought details of its arrested national from the Indian government. “According to the information we received, the Chinese embassy in India has requested the Indian side to notify the relevant information. We will continue following the development of the incident closely,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement in Beijing.
In Delhi, the Chinese Embassy issued an advisory to its tourists in mandarin asking them to abide by local laws and avoid straying into restricted areas. It also made it clear that the Chinese Government will not tolerate illegal behaviour by its citizens. “Anyone violating the laws could be fined or jailed. The embassy can protect the safety of Chinese citizens and the rightful claims of Chinese enterprises and personnel in India...But cannot tolerate any illegal behaviour,” it said.
“There have been consecutive cases of Chinese citizens being detained, fined or investigated, charged or even sentenced due to alleged law breaking in India. To this end, the Chinese Embassy in India specifically reminds Chinese citizens to strictly observe the relevant laws and regulations of India,” the embassy said in a notification.