‘India violated commitment on Tibet by allowing Dalai’s visit’

Pradesh is not Indian territory but a disputed part of the Sino-Indian border, China said on Wednesday, adding that by allowing the 14th Dalai Lama to visit the region, New Delhi has violated its commitments on Tibet and the row.

The ministry of foreign affairs (MFA) also said the Dalai Lama and Indian officials made provocative statements, which will have a “negative impact” on settling the territorial disputes through negotiations.

“We have lessons to learn from history,” Lu Kang, MFA spokesperson said in a press briefing, which could be interpreted to be a warning about what could happen if the protracted the talks on the border question collapse.

Earlier in the day, the statecontrolled China Daily wrote an editorial saying the people of South Tibet — their name for Arunachal Pradesh — were leading hard lives under India’s “illegal rule”. “Under India’s illegal rule, the residents of Southern Tibet live difficult lives, face various kinds of discrimination, and look forward to returning to China,” the editorial said.

Both the article and MFA, however, glossed over the periodic protests in Tibetan areas of China, where 130 Tibetans have self-immolated against Communist China’s policies in the region.

The Dharamsala-based Tibetan leader, Dalai Lama left Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday after spending more than a week in the border state amid the welltuned dual attack of the Chinese government’s constant criticisms and the Chinese state media’s harsh editorials.

A day after the Dalai Lama left, Beijing fired another loaded salvo of criticism. Much of it was directly aimed at New Delhi.

“I said the Dalai Lama is visiting the disputed eastern section of the China-India boundary. It is not Indian territory,” Lu said, when asked what commitments India had violated by allowing the visit. “The Indian government made solemn commitments on Tibet-related issue and boundary question. We have lessons to learn from history. The Indian side violated commitments on the relevant issue and insisted on arranging the Dalai’s activities in the disputed section of the ChinaIndia border and indulged in provocative political statements.

“We have made our solemn representations (to the Indian government) and it will of course have negative impact on bilateral relations.