The woman, who was stopped by Chinese authorities during a layover in Shanghai en route to Japan on Nov. 21, said she was told her passport was invalid because her birthplace, the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, is considered to be Chinese territory. Pem Wang Thongdok said in a post on X that she was held at the airport for 18 hours. While India maintains Arunachal Pradesh to be one of its states in the northeast, Beijing calls it a part of China and names it Zangnan, or Southern Tibet.
The latest episode adds pressure to a relationship already strained by the military standoff along the Himalayan frontier, restrictions on trade and technology, and competing regional interests.
