- By Shivangi Sharma
- Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:50 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India on Monday issued an unequivocal rebuke to Beijing after China commented on the “arbitrary detention” of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inalienable” part of India, an indisputable fact, it stressed, that no amount of Chinese denial can alter.
New Delhi said it has strongly taken up the matter with Chinese authorities, who have yet to justify their actions. India maintains that the incident violates multiple international air travel conventions as well as China’s own 24-hour visa-free transit rules.
Our response to media queries on statements made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) November 25, 2025
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China Repeats Claim Over Arunachal Pradesh
Earlier in the day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning rejected allegations of mistreatment, saying the woman “was not subjected to any compulsory measures, detainment or harassment.” Mao insisted that Chinese border inspection authorities “fully protected her lawful rights and interests.”
She also reiterated China’s claim that Arunachal Pradesh, referred to as Zangnan, is its territory, stating, “The Chinese side has never recognised the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India.”
Zangnan, meaning “southern Tibet,” forms part of China’s broader strategy of ‘cartographic warfare,’ where Beijing renames places in other countries that it claims. This includes calling Tibet Xizang and renaming Japan’s Senkaku Islands as Diaoyu.
Passenger Describes Humiliating 18-Hour Ordeal
Prema Wangjom Thongdok, a London-based financial consultant, told The Hindu that she endured an 18-hour detention, far longer than her planned three-hour layover. She alleged that Chinese officials mocked her, behaved unprofessionally, and repeatedly claimed that Arunachal Pradesh was “Chinese territory.” Immigration officers reportedly told her that her Indian passport was “invalid” because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.