China cites Dalai Lama trip to stoke border row

New Delhi/Beijing: China on Wednesday warned India that the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh will have a “negative impact” on the settlement of the border dispute and accused New Delhi of violating its commitment on the Tibet issue. While China covets Arunachal and refers to it as south Tibet, India regards the state as its integral part.

Experts say that while China has itself damaged Indian strategic interests on the NSG and Azhar Masood issues, it is getting a taste of its own medicine on the Dalai Lama issue.

The Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing will take “further action” to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and slammed the “provocative” statements of the Tibetan spiritual leader and the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu, who has said that the state shares its border only with Tibet, not with China.

In the strongest comments since April 4, when the 81-year-old Dalai Lama began his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which China claims as Southern Tibet, its foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said their “provocative” statements “exceeded the scope of religious activities.”

Mr Lu said despite China’s objection, India insisted on arranging the Dalai Lama’s visit “in the disputed areas of the eastern section of the China-India boundary”.

He also said that “some specific Indian official” had indulged in provocative political statement but did not name Pema Khandu.

“China has lodged representations with the Indian side and) we will take further action to safeguard the territorial sovereignty and national security,” Mr Lu said, without elaborating.

“What India has done is violated the solemn commitment on Tibet-related issues and it also has negative impact on proper settlement of the territorial disputes between the two sides through negotiations,” the spokesperson was quoted by news agency reports from Beijing as saying.