New Delhi, July 14: China has described Tibet-related issues as a “thorn” in its relations with India, days before Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is set to visit China for the first time since the deadly border clashes of 2020.
In a statement posted on social media platform X on Sunday, Chinese embassy spokesperson Yu Jing said the succession of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has become a burden in bilateral ties. “In reality, [the] Xizang-related issue is a thorn in China-India relations and has become a burden for India,” Yu said, using the Chinese name for Tibet.
The remarks came after senior Indian ministers, including Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, attended the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday celebrations earlier this month. The exiled Tibetan leader reiterated that China would have no role in choosing his successor — a position Beijing has strongly opposed.
China insists that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama is a domestic matter subject to state approval. Yu criticised unnamed Indian academics and strategic commentators for making “improper remarks” on the issue, urging Indian officials to be sensitive to what she called an “internal affair” of China.
Rijiju, speaking during the birthday event, had said that as a practising Buddhist, he believed only the Dalai Lama and his office had the authority to decide on his reincarnation.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement ahead of the Dalai Lama’s birthday, said New Delhi does not comment on religious matters or spiritual practices.
India is home to around 70,000 Tibetans and the Tibetan government-in-exile, which China does not recognise. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet.
Jaishankar will travel to Tianjin on July 15 to attend a regional security meeting under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and is expected to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines. The visit marks one of the highest-level engagements between India and China since their relations deteriorated following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, which left 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead.
