After a UK-based woman from Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Wangjom Thongdok, faced harassment at the hands of Chinese officials at Shanghai airport and was held for 18 long hours after they called her Indian passport “invalid”, the Government of India has lodged a “strong demarche”, The Indian Express reported.
Chinese officials reportedly objected to her passport because her place of birth is Arunachal Pradesh, which they claim is part of China. “Our Consulate in Shanghai also took up the matter locally and extended fullest assistance to the stranded passenger,” IE quoted a source as saying.
Indian officials conveyed to their Chinese counterparts that the woman had been detained on “ludicrous grounds”, stressing that Arunachal Pradesh is indisputably Indian territory, and its residents are fully entitled to hold and travel on Indian passports, the source further said, per the report by IE.
They also pointed out that the actions of the Chinese authorities violate provisions under the Chicago and Montreal Conventions governing civil aviation.
‘Held for 18+ hours, called Indian passport invalid’
Thongdok, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), shared her ordeal and tagged the Prime Minister’s officer, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Minister Pema Khandu.
“I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hrs on 21st Nov, 2025, on claims by China immigration & China Eastern airline,” she wrote on a social media platform, before adding, “They called my Indian passport invalid as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh, which they claimed is Chinese territory.” She had travelled 12 hours from London when she was held at the airport.
@pemakhandu @kirenrijuju @PMOIndia I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hrs on 21st Nov, 2025 on claims by China immigration & @chinaeasternair They called my Indian passport invalid as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh which they claimed is Chinese territory. @cnnbrk
— Pem Wang Thongdok (@wang_pem) November 23, 2025
‘Demand compensation for harassment, financial loss’
She also wrote an email to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and detailed her ordeal. In the email, she wrote, “A bilateral or geopolitical matter was misdirected at a private Indian citizen, which should never occur in any international transit setting.” She further suggested the government should demand compensation for “harassment, distress, and physical and mental suffering” as well as “financial losses”, The Indian Express reported.
While talking to The Indian Express, she explained that in October, she transited through the same airport “successfully” without any issue.
“I was waiting in the queue at the security gate when a lady came, singled me out, and took me out of the queue,” she recalled in a conversation with The Indian Express, adding, “I asked the authorities there what happened, and they pointed at my passport, which has Arunachal Pradesh as my birthplace. They were insisting that Arunachal Pradesh is a part of China, and that therefore my passport is not valid.”
She claimed that she even asked the officials for the documented proof for the same.
‘Get a Chinese passport’
Thongdok alleged she was mocked, and officials suggested she get a Chinese passport. “One of them even said that I should get a Chinese passport, because I am Chinese. They were mocking me.”
“They kept my passport and didn’t let me leave. I didn’t have access to food. Because there is no Google [in China], I didn’t have access to information either. They refused to let me travel on to Japan even though I had a valid visa for Japan,” she further told the outlet.
The officials, she said, demanded that she either fly to India or back to the United Kingdom.
Indian consulate in Shanghai intervened
After being held for several hours over no fault of hers, the woman demanded access to a phone to contact a lawyer. In reality, she contacted her friends in the United Kingdom, who helped her get in touch with the Indian consulate in Shanghai.
“After I got in touch with the consulate, six officials from there arrived at the airport within an hour and brought me food. They tried to get them to let me travel onward to Japan, but they refused to allow that. They also insisted that I only book my flight out with China Eastern Airlines. I finally booked a flight to India with a transit stop in Thailand, and have stayed back in Thailand now, and am working remotely from there,” she further said.
The woman, who is in her 30s and works as a financial adviser, also said that even though she lives in the United Kingdom, she has not given up her Indian passport. Thongdok hails from Rupa in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district, where her family continues to reside.