Good news here.

I called the Elite number. Getting through to a human being was something of a struggle, and when I got one she said it was possibly a little late (nearly a month, but it depends on the departure point, and she advised calling sooner in these cases) but she would try to help.

The problem was that my e-ticket (purchased through an agent) didn't have the ticket number, and without that it would be impossible for her to confirm the points. I'd earlier passed my travel agency and gone in to ask, since I'd seen that the points could be claimed on-line (although later I noted that not if Shanghai was involved.) The person I spoke to had said he couldn't retrieve that information.

Pace the posting above, the number on my baggage tickets isn't the ticket number (and in fact it's different on the two different tickets).

The Aeroplan agent insisted that travel agents did indeed retain that information for some time, and suggested an alternative route to it involving contacting Air Canada's accounts department.

I called the agency hoping to get through to the actual individual I'd booked with, only to find that a new automated system puts you through to someone in the region somewhere. So I was just grinding my teeth gently and preparing to walk out of the door when the phone rang and it was Aeroplan calling me back. The agent had worked out that because she knew my outbound flight (which had been to Hong Kong) she could get to the information she needed via that route, and she had now ensured the miles were credited. She apologised for not having thought of that before.

The system may have failed this time, but top marks to Aeroplan for effort in sorting it out, thanks to the agent in question (whose name I unfortunately didn't memorise, but she was at all times at once polite, efficient, helpful, and apologetic), and thanks to YYZ Princess for suggesting this approach.

Peter N-H