New Delhi: Weeks after an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh was reportedly detained for hours at Shanghai airport, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday issued a caution to Indian citizens travelling to China, urging them to “exercise due discretion.”

The advisory comes in the wake of an incident on November 21, when Prema Wangjom Thongdok, an Arunachal Pradesh native living in the United Kingdom, was held at Shanghai airport for more than 18 hours. Thongdok was on her way to Japan for a vacation, with a layover in Shanghai, when Chinese immigration officials reportedly declared her Indian passport invalid, citing her birthplace in Arunachal Pradesh—a region China claims as its own territory.

Throngdok alleged that she was mocked and pressured to apply for a Chinese passport, and was denied boarding on her onward China Eastern Airlines flight. The ordeal ended only after intervention by Indian officials. Sharing her experience on X, she wrote, “I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hrs on 21st Nov, 2025 on claims by China immigration & @chinaeasternair. They called my Indian passport invalid as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh which they claimed is Chinese territory.”

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “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 travelling to China or transiting through the country.”

The incident prompted a strong reaction from New Delhi, reiterating that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India. The Chinese foreign ministry, however, denied that Thongdok was subjected to detainment or harassment, claiming that the border inspection process followed Chinese laws and regulations. A spokesperson stated, “China never acknowledged the so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally set up by India.”

India firmly countered China’s assertion, stating, “No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality.”

The MEA advisory underscores the heightened diplomatic sensitivity surrounding travel to China, particularly for citizens from India’s north-eastern states, and signals the government’s intent to ensure that Indian nationals exercise caution while transiting through Chinese territory.