Tibet, Dalai Lama Reincarnation Row ‘Burden’ On Ties, Says China Ahead of Jaishankar’s SCO Visit
Ahead of Jaishankar's China visit, the Chinese embassy criticized India's stance on Tibet, particularly the Dalai Lama's reincarnation, deeming it an internal Chinese affair and a burden on bilateral relations.
The Tibet-related issues, including the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, are a thorn in the bilateral relations between India and China, and they have become a burden for New Delhi, the Chinese embassy said on Sunday, reports news agency PTI. The remarks came ahead of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's visit to China to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). It would be Jaishankar's first visit to China after the ties between the two countries came under severe strain following the 2020 military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
China and India, in the last few months, have initiated a number of measures to repair the bilateral ties after completing the disengagement of troops from the last of the two face-off sites in October last year.
Earlier, the Dalai Lama asserted that a trust of Tibetan Buddhists will have the sole authority to recognise his future reincarnation.
China reacted angrily to the remarks by the Dalai Lama and said his reincarnation should be approved by the Chinese government.
Chinese embassy, in a social media post on Sunday, the spokesperson Yu Jing said that members of the strategic and academic communities, including former officials, had made improper remarks regarding the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama contrary to the Indian government's public stance. They should be fully cognizant of the sensitivity of issues related to Xizang and that the reincarnation and succession of the Dalai Lama is inherently an internal affair of China, brooking no interference of any external forces, Yu said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Xizang-related issues are a thorn in China-India relations and have become a burden for India. Playing the 'Xizang card' will definitely end up shooting oneself in the foot, the Chinese embassy spokesperson said. Jaishankar is visiting China on July 14 and 15 to attend a meeting of foreign ministers of the SCO. He is expected to hold bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the SCO conclave.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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