Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu rebuffs Chinese claims over traveller row

India has lodged a strong demarche after an Arunachal-born Indian citizen was held for hours at Shanghai Airport, prompting China to deny harassment and reiterate its territorial claims

A day after India issued a “strong” demarche to China for detaining an Indian national from Arunachal Pradesh at the Shanghai Airport, Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday refuted allegations that the woman traveller was subjected to any harassment.

 

It also claimed that Arunachal Pradesh is a territory of China.

 

“Zangnan is China’s territory. China never acknowledged the so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally set up by India,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing.

 

The spokesperson said the actions taken by the Chinese immigration officials were according to its laws and regulations.

 

Pema Wangjom Thongdok, a UK-based Indian citizen who was travelling from London to Japan on November 21, claimed that her three-hour scheduled layover turned into a traumatising 18-hour ordeal after immigration personnel declared her passport “invalid” solely because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.

 

 

Asked for her response to the ordeal Thongdok was subjected to, the Chinese spokesperson claimed that the woman was not subjected to any compulsory measures, detainment or harassment as alleged by her. The airline also provided a place to rest, drink and food for the person concerned, Mao said.

 

“We learnt that China’s border inspection authorities have gone through the whole process according to the laws and regulations and fully protected the lawful rights and interests of the person concerned,” Mao said.

 

India lodged a strong demarche (a formal diplomatic protest) to China both in Beijing and in Delhi, on the same day the incident took place, sources in Delhi said.

 

India firmly conveyed to the Chinese side that Arunachal Pradesh is “indisputably” an Indian territory and its residents are perfectly entitled to hold and travel with Indian passports.

 

The Indian Consulate in Shanghai also took up the matter locally and extended the fullest assistance to the stranded passenger, they said. Sources in New Delhi said that the Indian side highlighted that the Chinese authorities are in contravention of the Chicago and Montreal Conventions relating to civil aviation.

 

“At a time when both sides are working on restoring normalcy, such actions by the Chinese side introduce unnecessary obstructions to the process,” one of the sources in New Delhi said.

 

In a related development, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday said he was “deeply shocked” by the incident and called it a “violation of international norms and an affront to the dignity of Indian citizens”.

 

He said that the conduct of Chinese officials amounted to “humiliation and racial mockery”.

 

“Subjecting her, despite a valid Indian passport, to such treatment is appalling,” the chief minister said in a post on X.

 

He also asserted, “Arunachal Pradesh is and will always be an integral part of India. Any insinuation otherwise is baseless and offensive.”

 

Thongdok hails from Rupa in West Kameng district and currently lives in the UK. She was travelling from London to Japan on November 21 when her three-hour layover turned into a “prolonged and distressing confrontation”.

 

In a detailed post on X on Sunday, she wrote, “I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hours on 21st November 2025 by China immigration and China Eastern Airlines. They called my Indian passport invalid because my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh, which they claimed is Chinese territory.”

 

The woman said she was confined to the transit area without clear explanations, proper food or basic facilities.

 

Her passport was allegedly confiscated, and she was prevented from boarding her connecting flight to Japan despite holding a valid visa.

 

Thongdok has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials, describing the episode as a “direct insult to India's sovereignty and the people of Arunachal Pradesh”.