India protests China's 'arbitrary detention' of citizen at Shanghai airport

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NEW DELHI (AP) — India has lodged a protest with China over what it called an “arbitrary detention” of an Indian citizen at the Shanghai airport after the traveler from a northeastern state said she was held for hours because Chinese authorities refused to recognize her passport.

The woman, who was stopped by Chinese authorities during a layover in Shanghai en route to Japan on Nov. 21, said she was told her passport was invalid because her birthplace, the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, is considered to be Chinese territory.

Pem Wang Thongdok said in a post on X that she was held at the airport for 18 hours.

While India maintains Arunachal Pradesh to be one of its states in the northeast, Beijing calls it a part of China and names it Zangnan, or Southern Tibet.

The latest episode adds pressure to a relationship already strained by the military standoff along the Himalayan frontier, restrictions on trade and technology, and competing regional interests.

It comes at a time when the two nuclear-armed rivals have been working to stabilize their ties following the deadly border clash of June 2020. The strain highlights how the continuing dispute over Arunachal Pradesh remains a major obstacle to improving relations between the Asian neighbors.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Tuesday said China’s border inspection authorities handled the case “in accordance with laws and regulations” and that it had “fully protected the legitimate rights and interests” of the person involved. She denied claims that the individual was detained or harassed.

Mao also reiterated that Zangnan was a Chinese territory and that Beijing never recognized the state of Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims was illegally established by India.

India’s Foreign Ministry responded late Tuesday, stating that Arunachal Pradesh was an integral and inalienable part of India.

“No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality,” ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

He said Chinese authorities haven’t been able to explain the woman's detention, which was in “violation of several conventions governing international air travel.”

“The action by the Chinese authorities also violate their own regulations that allow visa free transit up to 24 hours for nationals of all countries,” Jaiswal said.