New Delhi: The news of the detention of 21 Indian diamond traders in China on charges of smuggling has given a fresh twist to New Delhi-Beijing ties and comes a day after the arrest of three Chinese engineers in central India for alleged culpability in a factory accident that killed 41 people.

“We have sought details from the Indian embassy”, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told reporters. The external affairs ministry is in touch with India.s ambassador to China S. Jaishankar, She said … Indianconsular Officers are expected to be granted access to the detained Indian nationals .. The incident occurs at a time when distrust has resurfaced into India’s bilateral relations with China over a host of issues, including an increased Chinese assertiveness over the boundary dispute and a reported surge in Chinese incursions into the Indian territory.

Many Chinese working on various infrastructure projects in India have also complained of a host of problems, including issues of relating to their visas. The Chinese engineers, arrested in Chhattisgarh for a power plant chimney crash that killed 41 workers in September last year, were shifted to a district hospital in Korba town after they complained of health problems, the police said in Raipur.