On Thursday, 7th September 2023, merely two days before Delhi hosted the monumental G20 Summit 2023, an unconventional diplomatic incident transpired at a luxury hotel in the nation’s capital, housing the Chinese G20 delegation.
The episode commenced when security personnel at the Hotel Taj Palace reportedly became aware of the unusually large size of the bags belonging to a member of the Chinese delegation. The Chinese delegation prevented attempts by Indian security personnel to check the bag, allegedly containing some ‘equipment’, for 12 hours before agreeing to take the bag to the Chinese embassy.
According to a report by Times of India’s Raj Shekhar Jha, initially, the security personnel permitted the baggage to proceed, adhering to diplomatic protocols as the baggage was marked as diplomatic. However, while conducting a room inspection, a staff member at the hotel raised concerns about suspicious equipment within the bag, quickly escalating the situation as the message reached higher authorities. The superior authorities present in the hotel subsequently instructed the Chinese diplomatic delegation to subject the luggage to a thorough scanning process.
The mysterious Chinese equipment that spooked the Indian intelligence establishment during #G20 summit in Delhi. A chance detection led to a 12-hour standoff with agents deployed outside their hotel room to ensure the equipment goes back to embassy. Finally, the Chinese gave in. pic.twitter.com/hPCFbh7GzS
— Raj Shekhar Jha (@rajshekharx) September 13, 2023
Subsequently, a tense standoff ensued as the Chinese team members declined to unzip their bags or subject them to scanning for content inspection. This 12-hour impasse reportedly concluded only when the Chinese team members consented to dispatch the bags to the Chinese embassy.
The Chinese delegation made another unusual request, seeking a private network instead of using the hotel’s internet connection, which was subsequently denied by the hotel staff. The mystery surrounding the Chinese suitcase persisted until the resolution, with hotel sources confirming that Chinese security officials agreed to remove the item from the hotel premises and transport it to their embassy. Notably, the President of Brazil, who will host the next G20 summit, was also staying at the same hotel.
Sources within the security operations at the Hotel Taj Palace confirmed that Chinese security personnel resisted the request for equipment inspection, while the Indian security team remained steadfast in their insistence on the check. “A three-member security team stood guard outside the room for approximately 12 hours, after which a Chinese security official indicated they would transport the bags to their embassy,” a source revealed. In regard to the equipment, senior officials stated that it could not be definitively ascertained whether they were surveillance devices as there was no opportunity to inspect the equipment.
