Indian Woman from Arunachal Pradesh Detained for 18 Hours at Shanghai Airport Over Passport Dispute

An Arunachal Pradesh woman has reported being detained for eighteen hours at Shanghai Pudong Airport after Chinese authorities refused to recognize her Indian passport as valid during a transit stop.

Pema Wang Thongdok shared her ordeal through multiple posts on X, detailing how immigration officials at Shanghai airport held her on November 21, claiming her passport was "invalid" because her birthplace, Arunachal Pradesh, was allegedly "part of China."

Thongdok was en route from London to Japan when she landed in Shanghai for what should have been a brief three-hour layover.

In her social media post, she wrote: "I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hrs on 21st Nov, 2025, on claims by China immigration and China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited. They called my Indian passport invalid, as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh, which they claimed is Chinese territory."

According to Thongdok, Chinese immigration officers immediately flagged her passport upon noticing 'Arunachal Pradesh' listed as her birthplace. The officers explicitly told her that "Arunachal Pradesh is part of China" and refused to acknowledge her Indian citizenship.

Her passport was confiscated, and despite having a valid Japanese visa, she was prevented from boarding her connecting flight. Thongdok further alleged that multiple immigration officers and airline staff mocked her, even suggesting she "apply for a Chinese passport" instead.

Throughout the ordeal, she was denied access to food, airport facilities, and updates regarding her status. Officials reportedly barred her from boarding her scheduled flight to Japan and only returned her passport when she agreed to purchase a new ticket exclusively on China Eastern Airlines, resulting in significant financial losses from missed flights and hotel reservations.

Confined to the airport's transit area with limited options, Thongdok eventually contacted the Indian Consulate in Shanghai through a friend in the UK. With consular intervention, she was finally able to leave the airport late at night and continue her journey.

Describing the incident as a "direct insult to India's sovereignty," Thongdok has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian authorities to address the issue with Beijing. She has urged the Indian government to ensure accountability, seek compensation, and implement measures to protect all Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh from similar discrimination while traveling internationally.

This incident has sparked strong reactions among Indians and diplomatic circles, highlighting the challenging situations faced by Arunachal Pradesh citizens due to China's territorial claims and ongoing tensions between New Delhi and Beijing.

India has consistently rejected China's attempts to rename certain places in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing refers to as "Zangnan" or southern Tibet. In May, New Delhi firmly stated that renaming Indian territories would not alter the "undeniable" reality that the state "was, is, and will" always remain an integral part of India.

The MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to Beijing's announcement of Chinese names for 27 places in the northeastern state by saying, "We have noticed that China has persisted with its vain and preposterous attempts to name places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Consistent with our principled position, we reject such attempts categorically. Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India."