China relations: Govt advises 'leaders' to skip Dalai Lama's events

Keen to mend India's troubled relations with China and to avoid ruffling the feathers of the communist country, the government purportedly asked senior leaders and government functionaries to stay away from the Dalai Lama's events.

With New Delhi and Beijing lining up several engagements in the coming months to bring India-China ties on track, Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha purportedly conveyed to "senior leaders" and "government functionaries" in the states as well as at the Centre that it was "not desirable" to participate in events organized by the exiled Tibetans in India.

The face-off between the Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army 

(PLA) in Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan from June 18 to August 28 brought the bilateral relations to a new low in 2017.

New Delhi and Beijing are expecting the strains in the ties to be eased out in 2018, which is likely to see a series of engagements between the two neighbours.

Sinha issued the directive after Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale drew his attention to a "Thank You India" event being held by the Tibetan Government in Exile towards the end of this month and early next month to mark the beginning of the 60th anniversary of Dalai Lama's escape to India in the wake of the PLA's occupation of Tibet in 1959.

The Tibetan Government in Exile, also known as the Central Tibetan Administration, is based at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. It also planned to invite Indian dignitaries to a public event at Thyagaraja Sports Complex in New Delhi on April 1.

New Delhi is of the view that the time chosen by the Tibetan Government in Exile to hold the "Thank You India" event would be "very sensitive" for India's relations with China and hence purportedly asked the senior leaders and officials of Government of India as well as the state governments not to participate in it.

Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, however, on Friday clarified that New Delhi's position on Dalai Lama remained clear and consistent and it had not changed.

"He is a revered religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India," said Kumar, adding: "His Holiness is accorded all freedom to carry out his religious activities in India". He, however, did not confirm or deny the purported advisory issued by the Government asking its functionaries to stay away from Dalai Lama's events. Neither did he comment on it.

Gokhale recently visited Beijing and met his counterpart in the Chinese Government, Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou. He also called on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and State Councillor Yang Jiechi. The two sides agreed to build on the convergences and address differences on the basis of "mutual respect and sensitivity to each other's concerns, interests and aspirations".

China calls Dalai Lama a "splitist" and has been very sensitive about his stay in India and his visits abroad.

Beijing in November 2011 postponed a visit of the then State Councilor of China, Dai Bingguo, to New Delhi, as Dalai Lama was also attending a Global Buddhist Convention in the capital city around the same time when he was scheduled to arrive.

Beijing has also been complaining about Dalai Lama's visits to Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, which are close to disputed China-India boundary.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's summit which Chinese President Xi Jinping will host in Qingdao on the east coast of China in June this year.

Modi may also invite Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on a visit to India this year.

The diplomats of both sides are also exploring the possibility of a visit by a senior leader of Chinese Government ahead of the or during the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Infrastructural Investment Bank (AIIB) at Mumbai on June 25 and 26.