New Delhi issued a fierce diplomatic protest and a strong rebuttal to China on Tuesday after an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh was allegedly detained and harassed for nearly 18 hours at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport. The incident escalated into a diplomatic row after the Chinese Foreign Ministry explicitly challenged India’s sovereignty over the state.
Prema Wang Thongdok, a UK resident originally from Rupa in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district, was held at the airport while transiting from London to Japan on November 21, 2025.
In a post detailing her ordeal on X (formerly Twitter), Thongdok stated: “They called my Indian passport invalid as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh which they claimed is Chinese territory.”
MEA Calls China’s Action ‘Indefensible’
In response, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) vehemently rejected China’s claims over Arunachal Pradesh and deplored the treatment meted out to the Indian citizen. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal firmly reiterated India’s position.
“Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and this is a self-evident fact. No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality,” Jaiswal stated.
The MEA confirmed that a strong protest had been lodged with Chinese authorities in both Beijing and New Delhi, stressing that the detention was a clear violation of international air travel protocols, including the Chicago and Montreal Conventions, and China’s own immigration regulations.
The spokesperson further highlighted the inconsistency of China’s actions, noting that Chinese immigration rules typically permit visa-free transit of up to 24 hours for citizens of all countries. However, officials in this case inexplicably targeted the passenger’s birthplace, claiming it belonged to “Zangnan” (China’s term for Arunachal Pradesh) and declaring her valid Indian passport invalid.
In its defense, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning claimed Thongdok was not subjected to “any compulsory measures, detainment or harassment,” and that authorities “followed the laws and regulations during inspection.”
The MEA, however, maintained that China’s actions were “not only indefensible” but also a clear failure to justify the arbitrary targeting of a legal transit passenger. (TV9)
For more details: Navamalayalam.com
