Bhuchung Tsering
Tibet Report's Blog
August 22, 2010

The reported protest by the Chinese Government to
the Indian Government about the recent meeting
between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in one sense an
expected reaction from the Chinese side. After
all, isn’t it that the Chinese tend to react
negatively to any movement on Tibet by any governments in this world.

On the other hand, I see this Chinese reaction as
a part of the overall strategy to isolate the
Tibetan issue. The Chinese side knows that
meetings between Indian leaders and His Holiness
have been a regular feature in  the post 1959
period. Yet, by somehow protesting they want to
send the message that no one but them can have
anything to do with the Tibetan issue.

When asked about the Chinese protest during a
press interaction with the visiting Japanese
Foreign Minister, Indian Foreign Minister S. M.
Krishna had a nuanced response (which I am excerpting in full below).

India has a historical connection to Tibet and
the Dalai Lama is not just an honored guest but
is also someone who is seen as a spiritual leader
to quite many citizens of India who follow
Tibetan Buddhism. This aspect of His Holiness’
personality is something that the Chinese Government needs to understand.