China Reasserts Claim Over Arunachal; India Issues Strong Rebuttal
- By Thetripurapost Desk, New Delhi
- Nov 25, 2025
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China has once again reignited tensions over Arunachal Pradesh, repeating its long-standing territorial claim even as New Delhi confronted Beijing over the alleged mistreatment of an Indian woman at Shanghai airport.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning declared that “Zangnan (Arunachal Pradesh) is China’s territory,” asserting that Beijing has never accepted India’s control over the state, which it labels as “illegally occupied.”
Her remarks followed reports that Pem Wangjom Thangdok, an Indian citizen originally from Arunachal Pradesh and currently residing in the UK, was held up and harassed while transiting through Shanghai Pudong Airport on November 21.
China, however, denied the claims of coercion or misconduct.
India Responds: ‘Arunachal Will Always Be Ours’
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal sharply dismissed China’s statement, reaffirming that Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of India. He said no repetition of claims by Beijing can alter historical and legal reality.
Jaiswal also confirmed that New Delhi had formally raised Pem’s case with China, questioning why she was stopped despite being eligible for visa-free transit under Chinese regulations.
Passenger Claims Harassment, Pressure at Airport
According to Pem, Chinese officers declared her Indian passport invalid because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace. She alleged:
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Her passport was confiscated
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She was denied boarding despite a valid visa
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Staff taunted her and joked about her nationality
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She was blocked from buying food, traveling between terminals, or booking new tickets
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She was pressured to purchase a new airline ticket before her passport would be returned
What should have been a three-hour transit turned into an 18-hour ordeal, she claimed. Eventually, with help from Indian officials in Shanghai, she managed to leave the city.
China’s Push to Reinforce its Claim
China continues to rename locations in Arunachal Pradesh in an effort to legitimize its territorial position. In May, Beijing released a new list of 27 renamed sites, following earlier rounds of similar changes in 2017, 2021, and 2023.
Indian officials dismissed the renaming exercise as “pointless,” emphasizing that changing names does not alter ground realities.
A Long-Running Dispute
Arunachal Pradesh shares borders with Tibet, Bhutan, and Myanmar and is strategically referred to in India as the “shield of the Northeast.”
While China claims the entire state as part of “Southern Tibet,” its primary focus remains the Tawang region, a culturally significant area bordering Bhutan and Tibet.
India has also protested China’s recent attempts to extend administrative boundaries from its Xinjiang region into areas New Delhi considers part of Ladakh.