China’s repeated warnings to India over the Dalai Lama’s
visit is cliched. Stepping up warnings to India and weird apprehensions of
China with regards to the Dalai Lama visit is now losing its sheen. Beijing’s
act of pressing panic button has reached a standoff. Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesperson warned of “serious damage” to bilateral ties if India allows
exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh.
Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a “splittist” and strongly objects to his
continued presence in India. Earlier in March, China objected to the Dalai Lama
being invited to an International Seminar on Buddhism organized by Ministry of
Culture in Nalanda. The Global Times, official mouth piece of Chinese
government snapped back saying that by extending invitation to the Dalai Lama,
“India is asking for trouble, worsening bilateral relations and impeding normal
bilateral discussion”. Beijing chided New Delhi with similar remarks when
President Pranab Mukherjee hosted the Dalai Lama at Rashtrapathi Bhavan in
December 2016, along other Nobel Laureates. Interestingly, Global Times even
lashed at Pradeep Khosla, an overseas Indian, Chancellor of University of
California, San Diego (UCSD) for inviting the Dalai Lama to address the
graduating students in June. China even deliberately insulted Indians by
repeatedly referring to them as “these Indians”. China’s obsession with the
Dalai Lama dates to 1959 when the exiled spiritual leader sought refuge and
settled down in Dharamshala with his followers.
But this time around ULFA-I’s (United Liberation Front of
Assam-Independent) warning to the Dalai Lama also added heft to China’s strong
protests. ULFA-I, a banned militant organization that operates in Assam issued
an open letter to the Dalai Lama, asking him to refrain from making any
anti-Chinese comments from Assam’s soil. Needless to say, the
commander-in-chief of ULFA is currently based in China and works hand in glove
with Chinese masters to wreak havoc in the North-East State. Despite these
warnings, India allowed the Dalai Lama to embark on 14-day long tour to North
East India starting with Assam on April 1st where he would attend
the Assam Tribune’s platinum jubilee celebrations, participate in Namami
Brahmaputra festival, deliver a lecture at Dibrugarh University before
proceeding to Arunachal Pradesh. During his entire duration of stay the Dalai
Lama will give teachings on various aspects of Tibetan Buddhism and visit the
Tawang Monastery. The Dalai Lama last visited Arunachal Pradesh in 2009.
China disdainfully refers to 90,000 sq km of Arunachal
Pradesh, an integral part of India as South Tibet. Beijing began laying claims
over Tawang, a monastery town and birth place of sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang
Gyasto, since 1985. While China is becoming increasingly flustered about
Arunachal Pradesh ever since, the actual Indo-Chinese territorial disputes
pertain to Aksai Chin, area occupied by China during 1962 war. Beijing began
objecting to any official visits to Arunachal Pradesh, even protesting the
visit of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Last year it objected to
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister’s invitation to the Dalai Lama, US ambassador
Richard Verma visit to the state. It must be noted that China initially had
eyes on Tawang, which has 430 years old Buddhist Monastery, the holiest and
largest after the Potala Place, Lhasa, the seat of Tibetan Buddhism. But soon
Beijing extended claims to entire state of Arunachal Pradesh in 2006 and began
issuing stapled visas to residents of Arunachal Pradesh henceforth.
Beijing’s acrimony towards New Delhi emanated from India
offering shelter to Dalai Lama and his entourage who sought refuge to escape
the wrath of Chinese army. India besides, offering shelter held the Dalai Lama
in high esteem, honored him as a spiritual leader, helped him establish a divine
abode in Dharamshala to preserve the religious traditions and cultural
identities of Tibetans. Over the past five decades, India became home to over
1,50,000 Tibetan refugees and provided needed infrastructure for education and
health care. Contrastingly, China has been steadily extirpating Tibetan
culture, traditional values, and their core identities with an iron hand. The
scale of atrocities and persecution is reaching alarming proportions. Tawang
Monastery in India is now the last remaining symbol of Tibetan Buddhism where
traditional sanctity and identity are still upheld and widely protected. It has
now emerged as beacon of hope for the 20 million Tibetan Buddhists. Many
experts believe that Tawang might be the place where next the Dalai Lama
reincarnates. Having a Dalai Lama in its favor is vital for China to have an
unassailable control over Tibetan uprising. Earlier in 1995 Dalai Lama chose a six-year-old
Panchen Lama who could find the child, who would be a reincarnate of Dalai
Lama. But after three days of announcement of Panchen Lama, he was kidnapped
with his parents. Chinese government immediately chose another Panchen Lama as
a replacement. Beijing also declared that it will chose the next Dalai Lama.
Dalai Lama who is a spiritual head is also political head for Tibetans. The
present Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th in succession, cognizant
of Chinese nefarious intentions indicated that he is last in succession and
“his reincarnation will depend on the circumstances after his death”.
China’s single-minded fixation towards Tawang is reiterated by
top Chinese diplomat, Wang Dehua, who in an interview to Beijing publication Dai Bingguo, in February indicated that border dispute would be
resolved if New Delhi parted with Tawang, calling it as “inalienable part” of
Tibet. He elaborated that “If the Indian side takes care of China’s concerns in
the eastern sector, the Chinese side will address India’s concerns elsewhere”.
Former Indian diplomat, Ashok Kantha, clarified that as per the agreement of
2005, “there would be no exchange of territories with settled populations”.
Clearly, stating that Chinese insistence of Tawang territory have deep seated
implications.
Clearly, unlike in past, Chinese warnings do not rattle
Indian political dispensation any more. Home Minister Kiren Rijiju unequivocally
stated that “The Dalai Lama is going to visit Arunachal Pradesh as a religious
leader and there is no reason to stop him as his followers are demanding he
should come”. He also announced that he would meet the Dalai Lama at Tawang.
Chinese admonitions of India are becoming increasing
unreasonable. Beijing recently warned India of playing a Taiwan card and
undermining the One China Policy for hosting a Taiwanese Parliamentary
Delegation. Just a fortnight back, China alleged that New Delhi is posing
hurdles to greater Sino-Nepalese cooperation as China’s defence minister visit
to Nepal was immediately followed by Indian Chief of Army Bipin Rawat visit.
By and large the irrational and fallacious territorial claims
of China are becoming corner stone of its imperialistic vision. Overpowered by
irredentism, China is now laying claims on regions near and far. The
irredeemable obsession to reunite the rebel province of Taiwan even by force,
the reprehensible admonition of South China Sea verdict, punitive plans of
exercising control over its weak neighbors, outlandish sanctions on regions
part of its historical past together indicate spawning of a hegemon in the
region. It should be remembered that China has imposed severe sanctions on
Mongolia and literally brought the nation to its knees for allowing Dalai Lama
to visit its territory. The One China policy which Beijing states as the basis
for Sino-American relation is nurtured by its imperialistic vision. A vision
which envisages to rebuild historic arc that includes all the territories which
were part of the historic Yuan and Qing Dynasty.
Reprehensibly, while China is making every attempt to portray
the Dalai Lama as a “separatist” sheltered by India, it blatantly stalls
India’s attempts to blacklist terrorists, scuttles its progression into an
elite club, arms and funds militants jeopardizing internal security. Beijing
which is extremely unrelenting and uncompromising about its territorial and
core strategic interests is ruthlessly indifferent about India staking similar
claims. It conveniently chose to violate India’s sovereignty and audaciously
launched the CPEC for its strategic and commercial interests. But making
strident calls over a spiritual leader religious tour. The illogical
assertiveness of China is already taking a toll on the stability of the region.
It is time India checkmates irredentist China where it hurts most. Perhaps,
time to rewrite rules of economic cooperation.
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