Chhime Chhoekyapa, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader's aide, said the Dalai Lama would be in Arunachal Pradesh state in the second week of November. "He is going there for teaching. This has nothing to do with politics, there is nothing political about it," Chhoekyapa said.
The intended visit has already sparked consternation in China, which claims about 90,000 sq km of Arunachal Pradesh along their border as part of its territory, and could become another irritant in ties already dogged by a border dispute.
"China expresses strong concern about this information. The visit further reveals the Dalai clique's anti-China and separatist essence," Jiang Yu, the spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry, said in a statement faxed to Reuters.
"China's stance on the so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh' is consistent. We firmly oppose Dalai visiting the so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh'," Jiang said.
Why should India be any more special than America, which has already modified our White House schedule to avoid angering the Chinese communists?
If the Indians are going to get this much grief over their own territory, India should put a radar installation on Taiwan to keep an eye on the Chinese navy in the South China Sea.
