Tibetan Govt-in-exile stands with India on Chinese incursion

The Tibetan leader said that since Tibet had signed the treaty of 1914 and according to that agreement there is no dispute with regards to the status of Tawang. He admitted that Tawang is an integral part of India.

New Delhi, Jan 5: The repeated incursions from Chinese troops according to Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong or President of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, are advertent act from the Chinese government. China occupied Tibet although does not have its own government, the exiled government admits that Indo-Tibetan border violations have been one-sided and by China.

Talking to Indian news agency, PTI the Tibetan leader said that since Tibet had signed the treaty of 1914 and according to that agreement there is no dispute with regards to the status of Tawang. He admitted that Tawang is an integral part of India. The recent Chinese aggression to change the status of LAC has been denounced heavily by Tibetans in India.

Chinese imperialism since 1950s

Ever since Mao's PLA came to power in China, it has been trying to expand its territory. From occupying Tibet to later on invading border areas along the McMohan line to now regular incursions on Indian borders, China unilaterally tried to change the status of international borders. This has not gone well with India which has made China pay heavily.

Speaking on the background of recent clashes at Tawang and at Ladakh between the Indian Army and China's PLA, the Tibetan leader also said that he knows incursions are happening all from the Chinese side. He was quoted saying that till 1959, there was no border between India and China; it was with Tibet.

Additionally, according to him Tibet and India are signatories to the 1914 Shimla agreement where the two entities recognised the McMohan line as the legitimate border.

Belligerent China, a danger for regional and global peace

Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong is of the view that China's belligerence is without any provocation from the Indian side. Needless to say he admitted that India standing up to its position sends a very strong message to China. Pointing out to the Chinese character of disputing with every neighbour, he said that the country has border disputes with many Asian countries and does not look for settlements.

He also mocked the Chinese mind-set regarding international affairs as according to him Chinese complain that they are not being treated equal when it comes to China-America relations; however, it does not follow the same principle when it comes to talks with Asian neighbours.

Tsering concludes that China quite willingly keeps hot spots like Taiwan and Tawang burning so that it can divert attention to its own failings. These failings could be domestic as well as international.