A woman from Arunachal Pradesh has alleged severe harassment and illegal detention by Chinese immigration authorities at Shanghai Pudong Airport after they refused to recognise her Indian passport during a transit halt. In detailed posts shared on X, Pema Wang Thongdok described an ordeal that lasted nearly eighteen hours on November 21, when officials insisted her passport was invalid simply because her birthplace was listed as Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as its territory.
Thongdok was travelling from London to Japan and had a three-hour layover in Shanghai when the incident began. She stated that Chinese immigration officials stopped her at the counter, confiscated her passport, and repeatedly told her that Arunachal Pradesh was a part of China. Despite holding a valid Japanese visa, she was prevented from boarding her connecting flight and denied access to basic facilities, food, and information. Thongdok said multiple immigration staff and China Eastern Airlines personnel mocked her, telling her to apply for a Chinese passport instead.
According to her account, she was trapped inside the airport’s transit area with no freedom to rebook flights or move around. She claimed officials pressured her to buy a fresh ticket exclusively on China Eastern Airlines, resulting in financial losses from her missed flight and prepaid hotel reservations. With no support available and her situation worsening, she reached out to a friend in the UK, who contacted the Indian Consulate in Shanghai on her behalf. Only after consular intervention late in the night was she finally released and allowed to resume her journey.
Calling the episode a direct insult to India’s sovereignty, Thongdok appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian authorities to take up the issue strongly with Beijing. Her post has triggered widespread outrage among Indians and highlighted the ongoing vulnerability faced by residents of Arunachal Pradesh during international travel due to China’s territorial assertions.
The incident has reignited debate on China’s repeated attempts to undermine India’s claim over Arunachal Pradesh. India has consistently rejected these acts as baseless and provocative. Earlier this year, the Ministry of External Affairs dismissed Beijing’s move to assign Chinese names to several locations in Arunachal Pradesh, stating that renaming places cannot change the undeniable fact that the state was, is, and will always remain an integral part of India. With tensions between the two countries still simmering, Thongdok’s ordeal underscores how geopolitical disputes continue to spill over into the lives of ordinary citizens.
