BEIJING, April 12 - China today warned India that the Dalai Lama�s visit to Arunachal Pradesh will have �negative impact� on the settlement of the border dispute and accused New Delhi of violating its commitment on the Tibet issue.
Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing will take �further action� to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and slammed the �provocative� statements of the Dalai Lama and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who has said that the state shares its border only with Tibet, not with China.
In the strongest comments since April 4, when the 81- year-old Dalai Lama began his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which China claims as Southern Tibet, foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said their �provocative� statements �exceeded the scope of religious activities�.
Lu said despite China�s objection, India insisted on arranging the Dalai Lama�s visit �in the disputed areas of the eastern section of the China-India boundary.� He also said that �some specific Indian official� had indulged in provocative political statement.
�China has lodged representations with the Indian side and we will take further action to safeguard the territorial sovereignty and national security,� Lu said, without elaborating.
�What India has done has violated the solemn commitment on Tibet-related issues and it also has negative impact on proper settlement of the territorial disputes between the two sides through negotiations,� he said, adding, the boundary and Tibet-related questions �bear the political foundation of China-India relationship� and the two countries have reached �important consensus� of resolving the dispute through talks. � PTI
