India strongly criticised China after an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh was detained at Shanghai Airport and Beijing reiterated its claim that Arunachal Pradesh belongs to China. New Delhi firmly asserted that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India and emphasised that no amount of denial by China can alter this undisputed fact.
The incident took place on November 21 when Pema Wangjom Thongdok, who was travelling from London to Japan, was stopped at Shanghai Pudong Airport. Chinese immigration officials allegedly objected to her birthplace being listed as Arunachal Pradesh on her passport, claiming it was Chinese territory and that her Indian passport was invalid. The woman stated that she was mocked and told to accept Chinese citizenship, and was detained for nearly 18 hours without basic facilities before being released following the intervention of the Indian Consulate in Shanghai.
Reacting to the controversy, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning repeated China’s longstanding claim that Arunachal Pradesh, which it refers to as “Zangnan”, is part of its territory, while denying allegations of harassment or illegal detention. The Ministry of External Affairs in India sharply rejected Beijing’s remarks, stressing that the state is and will remain an integral part of India. India further stated that detaining a valid passport-holding Indian national violates international aviation norms as well as China’s own visa-free transit rules. New Delhi has lodged a strong diplomatic protest with Chinese authorities in both Delhi and Beijing.