China on Tuesday issued a mildly critical reaction to Indian foreign secretary Nirupama Rao’s weekend meeting with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama whom Beijing considers a separatist.
In its response to the meeting, the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing has urged New Delhi to ‘honour its commitments and cautiously handle issues’ related to Tibet and exiled Tibetans in India.
“The Indian government has repeatedly acknowledged to China that it recognises Tibet as part of China’s territory and does not allow exiled Tibetans to conduct anti-China activities on Indian territory,’’ said foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a media briefing. The spokesman said China had clearly expressed its stance on the issue to India.
Rao met the Dalai Lama just days after Shivshankar Menon visited Beijing from July 3-6 as the Prime Minister’s special envoy and held talks with Premier Wen Jiabao. Beijing had also raised the issue of Tibetan exiles during the visit of President Pratibha Patil in May.
The Chinese response to Rao’s meeting is mild compared to its past warnings to the US President Barack Obama after he met the Dalai Lama in Washington in February.
While both India and China have been successful in putting relations on even keel, India has expressed reservations about China’s plan to provide Pakistan two new nuclear reactors. However, New Delhi has insisted that Rao's meeting with the Dalai Lama has no connection to the nuclear reactor issue.
{{/usCountry}}While both India and China have been successful in putting relations on even keel, India has expressed reservations about China’s plan to provide Pakistan two new nuclear reactors. However, New Delhi has insisted that Rao's meeting with the Dalai Lama has no connection to the nuclear reactor issue.
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