An Indian citizen, Pema Thongdok, originally from Arunachal Pradesh and currently a UK-based financial advisor has reportedly been detained and harassed during a transit stop in Shanghai on November 21. According to her account, Chinese authorities objected to the birthplace listed on her Indian passport, since Beijing claims Arunachal Pradesh as “South Tibet,” a long-standing territorial assertion rooted in Mao Zedong’s “five-finger theory.” Thongdok says she was held for 18 hours without food, information, or access to her passport until intervention by the Indian consulate enabled her return via Thailand. China, however, denies all allegations, insisting that procedures were followed and rejecting claims of harassment. The incident echoes China’s history of using travel documents—such as stapled visas issued to Indians from Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir—to reinforce territorial claims, leading to repeated diplomatic friction, including India’s withdrawal from a sports tournament in 2023. With both countries attempting to normalise ties after years of border tensions, India has reportedly lodged protests in Beijing and New Delhi, raising questions about whether China’s actions represent bureaucratic hostility, strategic signalling, or a deliberate provocation during a fragile period of reset. Palki Sharma tells more. ---...