Chinese Ire: Now a row over Tibet flag in Ladakh

BEIJING: Chinese media is criticising a reported move by the Tibetan government in-exile to unfurl a flag representing its idea of a “Tibetan national flag" on the shores of Bangong Lake, known as Pangong Lake in India, in Ladakh. The lake is near the line of actual control between China and India, a commentary in Beijing-based Global Times pointed out.

The article said the flaghoisting, which comes in the midst of the border standoff, has “sparked wide speculation“ that Indian authorities have instigated the “Tibetan separatists“ to do this in order to exert pressure on China.“Although the involvement of New Delhi remains unclear, we hope they did not send any signal of approval,“ Yu Ning, the article's author, said. Though there is no evidence of New Delhi's involvement, the article accused India of using the Tibet card.

“New Delhi publicly promises not to allow any antiChina political activities by Tibetan exiles on Indian territory. But it has long used the Tibet question as a diplomatic card in dealing with Beijing,“ it said. The article also said, “Given the ongoing border spat, the Indian government should act prudently to avoid escalating tensions. It has the responsibility to control Tibetan exiles and their anti-China activities on Indian soil.“

The article argued that India should consider ways to de-escalate the border face-off at this moment. The author's argument is that India's large-scale poverty and the need for peace and development are the reasons why “New Delhi cannot afford to mess up the China-India bilateral relationship“.

The article also pointed out that China is India's biggest trading partner.