India Protests To China Its Citizens Detained For Dozens At Shanghai Airport

JAKARTA - India has filed a protest against China over "arbitrary detention" against an Indian national at Shanghai airport. The Indian was detained for hours because Chinese authorities refused to recognize his passport.

The woman detained by Chinese authorities while transiting in Shanghai on her way to Japan on November 21, said her passport was called invalid because her birthplace, the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, was considered Chinese territory.

Pem Wang Thongdok said in an upload on X that he was detained at the airport for 18 hours.

Although India still maintains Arunachal Pradesh as one of its northeastern states, Beijing calls it part of China and involves Zangnan, or South Tibet.

This latest event adds to pressure on already strained relations due to military stalemate along the Himalayan border, trade and technology restrictions, and regional interest competition.

This is happening at a time when these two hostile and nuclear weapons-owned countries are trying to stabilize their relations following deadly clashes at the border in June 2020.

This tension highlights how the ongoing conflict over Arunachal Pradesh remains a major obstacle in enhancing relations between the two neighboring Asian countries.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Tuesday China's border inspection authorities were handling the case "according to the laws and regulations" and had "completely protected legitimate rights and interests" from those involved.

He denied claims that the individual was detained or harassed.

Mao also reiterated that Zangnan is Chinese territory and Beijing has never recognized the state of Arunachal Pradesh, which he claims was founded illegally by India.

India's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded late Tuesday, stating that Arunachal Pradesh was an integral and inseparable part of India.

"Any denial from the Chinese side will not change this undeniable reality," a ministry spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal, said in a statement.

He said Chinese authorities had not been able to explain the detention of the woman, which is a "violence of several conventions governing international air travel."

"The actions of these Chinese authorities also violate their own regulations that allow visa-free transits of up to 24 hours for citizens of all countries," Jaiswal said.