'Arunachal inalienable part of India': Delhi slams China after woman flagged at airport
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a sharp statement following reports that UK-based Indian citizen Pema Wangjom Thongdok was held for over 18 hours at Shanghai International Airport due to her passport listing Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.
- Nov 26, 2025,
- Updated Nov 26, 2025 7:14 AM IST
India lashed out at China on Tuesday over the alleged detention of an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh in Shanghai, calling it a violation of international travel norms and reasserting that the northeastern state remains an “integral and inalienable” part of India.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a sharp statement following reports that UK-based Indian citizen Pema Wangjom Thongdok was held for over 18 hours at Shanghai International Airport due to her passport listing Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.
“We have taken up the matter strongly with the Chinese side,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “Chinese authorities have still not been able to explain their actions, which violate several conventions governing international air travel.”
India accused China of breaching its own visa-free transit rules, which allow foreign nationals up to 24 hours of stay without a visa. “These actions also violate China’s own regulations,” Jaiswal added.
Thongdok, who was en route from London to Japan, said she was flagged by airport officials and told her Indian passport was “invalid” because it cited Arunachal Pradesh—a region China claims as “Zangnan.”
China denied detaining or harassing Thongdok, insisting that “all procedures were lawful.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning doubled down on Beijing’s territorial claim, stating, “Zangnan is China’s territory,” and reaffirmed that China “never recognised the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh.’”
Mao maintained that no “compulsory measures” were taken and that the passenger’s “rights were protected.” The Indian consulate in Shanghai eventually intervened, enabling Thongdok’s onward travel late that night.
India firmly rejected this narrative. “No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality,” Jaiswal said, reiterating that Arunachal Pradesh is, and will remain, Indian territory.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu called the incident “deeply shocking” and a “violation of international norms and the dignity of Indian citizens.”
India lashed out at China on Tuesday over the alleged detention of an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh in Shanghai, calling it a violation of international travel norms and reasserting that the northeastern state remains an “integral and inalienable” part of India.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a sharp statement following reports that UK-based Indian citizen Pema Wangjom Thongdok was held for over 18 hours at Shanghai International Airport due to her passport listing Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.
“We have taken up the matter strongly with the Chinese side,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “Chinese authorities have still not been able to explain their actions, which violate several conventions governing international air travel.”
India accused China of breaching its own visa-free transit rules, which allow foreign nationals up to 24 hours of stay without a visa. “These actions also violate China’s own regulations,” Jaiswal added.
Thongdok, who was en route from London to Japan, said she was flagged by airport officials and told her Indian passport was “invalid” because it cited Arunachal Pradesh—a region China claims as “Zangnan.”
China denied detaining or harassing Thongdok, insisting that “all procedures were lawful.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning doubled down on Beijing’s territorial claim, stating, “Zangnan is China’s territory,” and reaffirmed that China “never recognised the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh.’”
Mao maintained that no “compulsory measures” were taken and that the passenger’s “rights were protected.” The Indian consulate in Shanghai eventually intervened, enabling Thongdok’s onward travel late that night.
India firmly rejected this narrative. “No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality,” Jaiswal said, reiterating that Arunachal Pradesh is, and will remain, Indian territory.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu called the incident “deeply shocking” and a “violation of international norms and the dignity of Indian citizens.”