MEA Advises ‘Discretion' in Travel to China After Arunachal Woman's Detention at Shanghai Airport

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has advised Indian nationals to “exercise due discretion” in their travels to or transit through China following the incident of an Indian national from Arunachal Pradesh being held at Shanghai airport last month.

In a press briefing on Monday (December 8), MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed the issue, while answering to a question. He also said that India hoped that regulations governing international air travel would be respected by the Chinese authorities.

“We fully share your concern following the recent incident at Shanghai airport that you have cited. We expect the Chinese authorities to provide assurances that Indian Citizens transiting through Chinese airports will not be selectively targeted, arbitrarily detained or harassed and that regulations governing international air travel would be respected by the Chinese side. MEA would advise Indian nationals to exercise due discretion while traveling to or transiting through China,” he said.

On November 21, Prema Wangjom Thongdok, a UK-based Indian citizen, was held at the Shanghai airport by the Chinese immigration authorities. They allegedly termed her Indian passport “invalid” due to the person’s birthplace in Arunachal Pradesh, which they claimed was Chinese territory.

Thongdok was travelling from London to Japan, with a three-hour layover in Shanghai.

The incident became public a few days later when she shared her experience on social media after leaving China. On November 24, Indian official sources confirmed that a “strong demarche was made with the Chinese side, in Beijing and in Delhi, on the same day the incident took place.”

India has also filed a formal protest with China regarding the incident, with officials observing that “such actions by the Chinese side introduce unnecessary obstructions to the process” of restoring normalcy to bilateral ties. 

Notably, the bilateral ties between India and China had been gradually improving since last year after resolving the four-year military standoff along the border in eastern Ladakh, during which relations had been severely strained.

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