India has issued a strong diplomatic protest after an Arunachal Pradesh resident, Prema Wangjom Thongdok, was detained for over 18 hours at the Shanghai International Airport, with Chinese authorities allegedly refusing to recognise her Indian passport.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed the development on Monday, stressing that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India and no amount of denial by China can alter this fact.
China Refuses to Recognise Passport Citing Birthplace
Thongdok revealed on social media on November 23, 2025, that she was stopped and detained on November 21 during her transit to Japan. According to her post, Chinese immigration officials and China Eastern Airlines claimed her Indian passport was “invalid” because her birthplace was listed as Arunachal Pradesh, which they incorrectly labelled as “Chinese territory”.
She wrote, “I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hours… They called my Indian passport invalid as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh.”
India Reacts Strongly
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that India lodged a strong demarche with China immediately after the incident was reported.
“Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and this is a self-evident fact. No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality,” Jaiswal said.
He also criticised China’s actions as a violation of international travel conventions, pointing out that China’s own regulations allow 24-hour visa-free transit for citizens of all countries — a policy that was ignored in this case.
Incident Comes After Revival of Direct Flights
The controversy has arisen just weeks after China Eastern Airlines resumed its Shanghai–Delhi service on November 9, 2025, restoring air connectivity between the two countries after a five-year gap. This resumption followed high-level talks between Indian and Chinese leaders on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin on August 31, 2025.
Detention Still Unexplained
Despite India’s protests, Chinese authorities have not provided a clear explanation for Thongdok’s prolonged detention. Officials in New Delhi say the treatment violates both international aviation norms and China’s own transit rules.
Thongdok has since been allowed to continue her journey, but the incident has triggered fresh tensions over China’s repeated claims on Arunachal Pradesh.