China's Foreign Ministry opposes Dalai Lama's India border area visit, says 'very unsatisfied'

Associated Press

Last update: November 10, 2009 - 2:45 AM

BEIJING - China's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it opposed and was dissatisfied with India's allowing a visit to a disputed border region by Tibet's exiled leader the Dalai Lama.

Spokesman Qin Gang's comments were the latest expression of China's displeasure over the Buddhist spiritual leader's weeklong trip to the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

"We oppose the Dalai Lama's visit," Qin said in response to a question at a regularly scheduled news conference about the trip, which began Sunday after months of rising friction between India and China.

"We're very unsatisfied," Qin said.

The Dalai Lama has been holding prayer meetings and teaching sessions with adherents in the Himalayan town of Tawang, near the frontier with Chinese-controlled Tibet.

Arunachal Pradesh is one of two disputed border regions claimed by both China and India, who fought a border war in 1962 and have had stretches of increased tensions ever since.

India has responded to China's demands to call off the trip by saying the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959, was an honored guest and free to visit any part of the country.

China regards the Dalai Lama as seeking formal independence for Tibet, which it claims has been Chinese territory for four centuries. The Dalai Lama says he seeks only a high level of autonomy under Chinese rule for the Himalayan region, although many of his supporters say Tibet was effectively an independent country for most of its history.

On Monday, Indian officials restricted access to the Dalai Lama by journalists covering the visit in an apparent effort to minimize tensions with China.

The relatively muted tone of Qin's comments also appeared to signal a desire by Beijing not to further aggravate the dispute.

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