Chinese Veteran Stranded in India for Five Decades to Finally Return Home

Wang Qi, who was captured in India after reportedly straying inside the Indian Territory, has spent more than five decades in India struggling to find a legal way back. He is finally set to reunite with his brother in Shaanxi after India and China worked together to clear diplomatic doors for his return.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — A Chinese veteran soldier, who was stranded in India since the last five decades after he was captured for trespassing into the Indian Territory in 1963, is expecting to reunite with his siblings in China this weekend after Indian and Chinese authorities coordinated to facilitate his departure from India.

"The Chinese Embassy in India has been in contact with Mr. Wang over the past few years, making great efforts in smoothing the way for him to return and visit families in China which included communicating with the Indian side to timely process his exit and entry formalities. The Chinese Embassy in India issued a 10-year Chinese passport to him in 2013 and has been providing him with a certain amount of living allowances per annum since then. We believe that with the joint efforts of China and India and following the wishes of Mr. Wang, this case will come to a satisfactory ending," said China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang during his regular media briefing.

Indian authorities also say they are trying their best to ensure Wang Qi's smooth passage to China.

"We are working with the Chinese Embassy in Delhi and the Indian Embassy in Beijing to ensure that all formalities are completed and arrangements are in place," India's External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup told the media.

But it was not until Wang Qi's recent interview with the BBC went viral on social media that authorities of both the countries took cognizance of his plight.

Helping Chinese Soldier Who Crossed Over In 1963 To Visit Home: India: India today said it is helping Wang Qi, the… https://t.co/tt6xDuesNu pic.twitter.com/GLU530dxz3

— NewsStory (@NewsStoryIndia) 10 февраля 2017 г.

​Octogenarian Wang Qi's struggle of five decades for returning to his homeland is fraught with diplomatic and bureaucratic hurdles involving both China and India. 

Wang claimed in an interview that he was a surveyor with China's People's Liberation Army and was involved in road projects along the border with India. In 1963 when war broke out between the two neighboring countries, Wang accidently strayed into the Indian Territory failing to find his way back home.

The International Red Cross rescued him from the jungle but handed him over to Indian authorities. He was then sent to various jails across India for seven years and then released in 1969, but his wish to return to China was denied. Instead, he was sent to Tirodi, a far-flung village in Madhya Pradesh state in central India where many Indian dissidents lived alongside prisoners from China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Wang Qi, originally from Shaanxi province reportedly adopted an Indian name Raj Bahadur, married a local named Sushila and formed his own family with her, and sought for various ways of livelihood, eventually setting up a small business of his own.

Indian media reported that Wang has expressed his desire to return to India and live there after visiting his brother in China.