Dalai Lama honoured guest: PM to China

“The Dalai Lama is our honoured guest. He is a religious leader.” This is how prime minister Manmohan Singh explained India’s position on the exiled Tibetan leader to his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao during the course of talks on Saturday.

However, Singh’s message got somewhat diluted when news filtered in from Arunachal that the Centre has not yet given the state necessary communication about the spiritual leader’s November 8-15 visit to the region. China has vehemently protested against the Dalai Lama’s visit to the Tawang monastery in the state.

Singh said, in a media briefing on Sunday, that he had brought up the subject of the Dalai Lama’s Arunachal tour at a dinner hosted by Thailand’s prime minister for all the leaders attending the Asean summit. Singh and Wen were seated next to each other, and talked over issues that had escalated tensions between the two Asian neighbours in recent months.

While Singh emphasised that the exiled leader was an “honoured guest of India”, he did not repeat the familiar Indian line — that the Dalai Lama is free to travel anywhere in India.

He elaborated on India’s position further, saying, “We do not allow Tibetan refugees to indulge in political activities and, as proof of that, last year we took the resolute action at the time of the Olympics when there were reports that some Tibetan refugees might disrupt the process. And that’s the position I explained to premier Wen.”

The underlying message from the PM’s news conference was that India and China do have differences — such as over Dalai Lama — as well as a complex border issue, but both countries are aware that their relations are vital for the peace and stability in Asia and would therefore try their best to strengthen the broad contour of these ties. It is known that there is a trust deficit in the relationship and the endeavour is, as Singh emphasised, to “strengthen efforts to build political trust and understanding”.

Contrary to Saturday’s official line, the PM said that the question of Chinese incursions as well as the north-eastern states’ anxiety over the Brahmaputra water diversion by China and the complex boundary problem came up during the meetings.

“I had a frank and constructive exchange of views with premier Wen, both during our formal meeting and at the gala dinner last night. We discussed all these issues and agreed that the existing mechanisms for bilateral cooperation should be used to resolve all the issues amicably, in the spirit of a strategic co-operative partnership,’’ Singh said.

Singh acknowledged that the two countries have an outstanding boundary question that “cannot be wished away”. “There are established government channels to exchange views on all these issues. One doesn’t have to, therefore, go to the media to accentuate or exaggerate the amount of differences that prevail. We both agreed that the boundary question is a complex one and that pending its resolution we both have an obligation to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border.’’

China’s foreign minister will be in Bangalore on Tuesday for trilateral India-China-Russia talks. During the course of these meetings, the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers will have their bilateral talks on all issues, including that of visas to Kashmiris and Beijing’s investments in PoK, the PM said.

He added that he had brought up the issue of Brahmaputra with Wen, as promised to the Assam and Arunachal chief ministers. “I conveyed to him that cooperation in the area of trans-border rivers is of mutual benefit.” Wen suggested that these issues be taken up at the expert level mechanism that is already in place.