A woman from Arunachal Pradesh was allegedly detained for more than 18 hours at Shanghai Pudong International Airport after Chinese immigration officials questioned the “validity” of her passport.
Pem Wang Thongdok, a UK resident, was travelling from London to Japan on Nov. 21 with a scheduled three-hour transit in Shanghai. She said officials initially refused to process her arrival, claiming her passport could not be accepted, citing her birthplace, Arunachal Pradesh, as "part of China".
"I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hrs on 21st Nov, 2025 on claims by China immigration and China Eastern Air," she wrote on her social media post X, while tagging Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and the Prime Minister's Office.
Thongdok described how immigration officers repeatedly called her name while shouting “India, India” and told her passport was “not valid” because her birthplace was considered Chinese territory. She said several officials and China Eastern Airlines staff mocked her, suggested she apply for a Chinese passport, and denied her access to food and airport facilities.
@pemakhandu @kirenrijuju @PMOIndia I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hrs on 21st Nov, 2025 on claims by China immigration & @chinaeasternair They called my Indian passport invalid as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh which they claimed is Chinese territory. @cnnbrk
November 23, 2025She was also reportedly stopped from boarding her scheduled flight to Japan, with officials demanding she buy a new ticket from China Eastern Airlines before her passport would be returned. Thongdok contacted a friend, who helped reach the Indian Consulate in Shanghai. With the consulate's intervention, she was finally allowed to leave the airport and continue her journey.
Thongdok described the incident as a “direct insult to India's sovereignty” and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other authorities to raise the issue with Beijing, seek compensation, and ensure that Arunachal Pradesh residents are protected from similar treatment in the future.
India has strongly rejected China's attempts to give new Chinese names to places in Arunachal Pradesh. China calls the region "Zangnan," which means the southern part of Tibet.
In May, India made it clear that changing the names of these areas does not change the fact that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.
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