India has strongly criticized China after an Arunachal Pradesh woman was harassed and detained at Shanghai airport, calling the incident “most unhelpful” for building mutual trust and normalization of bilateral ties. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inalienable part of India” and condemned China’s recurring denial of Indian sovereignty over the state. Despite some recent diplomatic thaw, resumed direct flights, de-escalation agreements, and top-level meetings, New Delhi warned that arbitrary actions like blocking Indian citizens undermine efforts to rebuild confidence and maintain peace along the contested border, underscoring persistent fault lines in India-China relations.​