India issues advisory on travel to China
India urges citizens to exercise caution when travelling to or transiting through China after an Arunachal woman alleged harassment and 18-hour detention at Shanghai airport.
NEW DELHI — India on Monday advised its citizens to exercise caution while travelling to or transiting through China, following an incident in which an Arunachal Pradesh woman alleged harassment and prolonged detention at the Shanghai airport last month.
The development comes more than two weeks after Pema Wang Thongdok, an Indian national from Arunachal Pradesh, claimed that Chinese immigration officials held her for over 18 hours on November 21 after refusing to acknowledge her Indian passport. Officials allegedly cited her birthplace—Arunachal Pradesh—as grounds to question the validity of her passport, asserting the region as “Chinese territory.”
New Delhi lodged a strong diplomatic protest with Beijing on the same day, both in the Chinese capital and in Delhi. India reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, rejecting any narrative that challenges the country’s sovereignty.
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At a weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed concerns regarding the incident. “We fully share your concern following the recent incident at Shanghai airport,” he said, adding that India expects Chinese authorities to ensure that Indian nationals will not be selectively targeted, arbitrarily detained or harassed at Chinese airports.
Jaiswal stated that New Delhi was seeking assurance from Beijing that regulations governing international travel would be respected without discrimination. “We expect the Chinese authorities to provide assurances that Indian citizens transiting through Chinese airports will not be selectively targeted,” he noted.
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While China has denied the allegations, claiming actions taken were in line with immigration protocol, the matter has fuelled caution among travellers. The MEA advisory is seen as a measured response to rising public concern, amid ongoing India–China boundary tensions and recurring disputes over Arunachal Pradesh.
The incident has also reignited conversation around Beijing’s repeated territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, a state India firmly maintains as part of its sovereign territory.
The extent to which India’s advisory impacts travel patterns remains to be seen, but the government’s message is clear — Indian travellers must remain vigilant when flying through or entering China, especially those belonging to Arunachal Pradesh.
