Diplomatic Tensions: India's Travel Advisory Following Incident in Shanghai

India has issued a travel advisory for its nationals traveling through China following an incident at Shanghai airport involving Indian national Pema Wang Thongdok. Accused of wrongly detaining Thongdok due to her Arunachal Pradesh birthplace, Chinese authorities face criticism from India, demanding assurances of non-discrimination for Indian travelers.

Amid rising diplomatic tensions, India has issued a travel advisory for its nationals about traveling or transiting through China. This follows an incident where an Indian woman, Pema Wang Thongdok, reported being harassed by Chinese immigration officials at Shanghai airport on November 21.

The incident reportedly involved officials refusing to recognize Thongdok's Indian passport because it listed her birthplace as Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as its own territory. As a consequence, Thongdok alleged she was detained for 18 hours.

Reacting to this, Indian authorities reiterated Arunachal Pradesh's status as an integral part of India and lodged a formal protest with China. New Delhi is now seeking assurances that Indian citizens will not face targeted harassment or arbitrary detention at Chinese airports.

(With inputs from agencies.)