Indian Woman harassed by Chinese officials, called her passport Invalid

A woman from Arunachal Pradesh named Pem Wang Thongdok was held at the Shanghai airport for over 18 hrs on 21st Nov, 2025. Her Indian passport was called invalid due to her birthplace, Arunachal Pradesh. She approached the Indian consulate in China and sought help.

Arunachali woman harassed by Chinese officials 

• An Indian woman named Pem Wang Thongdok from the state of Arunachal Pradesh was travelling from Japan to London, and landed in China for a three-hour layover, where she was held by the Chinese officials, and her passport was declared invalid. She said the officials at the immigration desk told her, "Indian passport is invalid because I was born in Arunachal Pradesh."

@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

• On X, Pem Wang Thongdok revealed she was detained and harassed for eighteen hours at the airport and refused to accept her Indian passport calling Arunachal Pradesh part of China. In another post, she said her passport was confiscated after seeing Arunachal Pradesh as her Birthplace. 
• She said, “I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hrs on 21st Nov, 2025, on claims by China Immigration & China Eastern Air corporation. They called my Indian passport invalid, as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh, which they claimed is Chinese territory.” She could not board her flight on time, even after holding a valid Japanese visa. 
• After a series of offensive comments by the officials, she was advised to apply for a Chinese passport. She was only released after she agreed to buy a new ticket with China Eastern Air Corporation. She was held in the Transit area, where she was denied food and necessities. With the help of a friend in the UK, she sought help from the Indian consulate in Shanghai, which enabled her to leave at night. 
• Thongdok called the incident an Insult to the indian sovereignty, she tagged PM Modi, Kiren Rijuju, and Prema Khandu. Netizens are furious over the incident asked the politicians to raise the issue to protect and prevent similar incidents in future.

India-China clash over Arunachal Pradesh 

Arunachal Pradesh is a part of Indian territory, but China claims it as its own. China views Arunachal Pradesh as “South Tibet” and has constantly refused to follow the guidelines of the 1914 Simla Convention, which establishes the McMahon Line. They even said that Tibet did not have the authority to decide for itself. Claiming Arunachal Pradesh brings it closer to the Siliguri corridor and Bhutan. 

Read more from the author: Justice Surya Kant sworn in as the 53rd Chief Justice of India