India lodges strong protest after Indian national from Arunachal detained at Shanghai airport

An Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh was held for nearly 18 hours at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on 21 November, triggering a diplomatic protest from New Delhi and renewing tensions over the long-standing territorial dispute between India and China.

The traveller, identified as Pema Wangjom Thongdok, who has been living in the UK for over a decade, was en route from London to Japan, with a scheduled transit stop in Shanghai. According to her posts on social media and subsequent reports, immigration officials at Pudong flagged her Indian passport as “invalid” because her place of birth was listed as Arunachal Pradesh. She alleged that officials told her that “Arunachal Pradesh is part of China” and thus her travel document could not be recognised. She was refused onward boarding, her passport was retained, she was denied access to normal transit options, and remained in the transit zone for around 18 hours until intervention by the Indian Consulate in Shanghai.

China’s side has responded by denying that any harassment or improper detention took place. A spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the border inspection was carried out “in accordance with laws and regulations”, no compulsory measures were taken, the airline had provided rest facilities and meals, and therefore there was no “so-called detaining or harassing.”

India’s reaction & significance

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has registered a strong demarche with the Chinese side, both via Beijing and via its mission in Shanghai, demanding a credible explanation for the incident. The MEA insisted that the individual was travelling on a valid Indian passport and was eligible for visa-free transit (up to 24 hours) under normal conditions.

Importantly, India reaffirmed its long-standing position that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India - a position repeatedly stated in bilateral discussions and public diplomacy. The MEA spokesperson declared: “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.”

The incident is seen as a breach of standard transit rules and raises concerns about the treatment of Indian citizens abroad, especially those from border-states such as Arunachal. India has emphasised that citizens from Arunachal have full rights to hold and travel on Indian passports without discrimination. China claims the region of Arunachal Pradesh (which it labels “Zangnan” or “southern Tibet”) as its own territory. This case provides a concrete incident where that diplomatic and territorial dispute appears to have directly impacted an individual’s travel rights.

India has flagged that Chinese actions appear to contravene the norms of international air transit (including provisions under the Chicago Convention and Montreal Convention). The MEA described the detention as “arbitrary” and “unnecessary obstruction” in a flight transit context.​