Zeenews Bureau
Tawang: The unease in China regarding Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh was apparent on Monday with a Beijing based senior researcher claiming that India is milking his visit to further its own interests.
Hu Shisheng, a researcher of Southern Asian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told Beijing’s Global Times: “The Dalai Lama went to southern Tibet at this critical moment probably because of pressure from India.”
“By doing so, he can please the country that has hosted him for years.”
Hu was also of the opinion that Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal state may reap anti-China sentiments among the people in the Northeastern state.
“When the conflict gets sharper and sharper, the Chinese government will have to face it and solve it in a way India has designed,” the researcher said, added.
The reaction from China came after Dalai Lama, on Sunday, told a huge gathering in Arunachal’s Tawang that Beijing's accusation about his visit was anti-China and damaging to India-China relations are "baseless".
"My visit to Tawang is non-political and aimed at promoting universal brotherhood and nothing else," the Nobel Peace laureate said.
I was surprised" at China's criticism of the planned visit, the Dalai Lama told reporters when asked about the motive behind his trip.
"Because in (19)62, the People's Liberation Army already reached that area, already occupied... then India sort of pushed them back. The Chinese government unilaterally (made) ceasefire, withdrawal," he said. "So what's the problem?"
He also criticised China's one-party state and lack of media freedom.
"People in China (have) no free information, too much sensation. And their own newspaper, media -- all their information is one-sided propaganda," he said.
Nothing to do with Dalai Lama’s visit: Govt
The Indian government has come out with a categorical denial of having to do anything with Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
Rejecting the charge, Union Minister of State fro External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said, “India has nothing to do with the visit. It was Dalai Lama’s decision to travel to Arunachal”