Pem Wang Thongdok, an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh living in the UK, said she was held for over 18 hours at Shanghai Pudong Airport.
She claimed Chinese officials refused to accept her Indian passport only because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace, a region China insists belongs to it.
Thongdok was travelling from London to Japan on 21 November 2025 when an officer reportedly pulled her aside after immigration clearance.
She says she was taken back to the desk and told her passport was “invalid” because “Arunachal is part of China.”
She was stopped from boarding her next flight and urged to buy a new ticket on China Eastern Airlines.
She sought help by tagging Indian leaders and media. After intervention by the Indian Consulate, she was finally allowed to leave Shanghai.
The episode highlights ongoing India-China tensions over Arunachal Pradesh.
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