Arunachal-born UK woman detained in China, 'harassed' for having Indian passport

An Indian woman has alleged that she was detained for more than 18 hours at Shanghai Pudong International Airport after Chinese authorities refused to recognise her Indian passport.

In a series of posts on X, the woman, who identified herself as Pem Wang Thongdok, and lives in the United Kingdom, alleged that the Chinese authorities claimed her passport was “invalid" because she was born in Arunachal Pradesh.

Thongdok recounted the incident that took place on November 21, 2025, while she was reportedly travelling from London to Japan.