Tibet out of purview of India's new Consulate in China

BEIJING: India will soon be opening a new Consulate in China's Chengdu city, capital of Sichuan province but Tibet, which borders it will not come under its purview.

Under the agreement signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit last week, both China and India have agreed to open their third Consulate in each other's territory.

While India will open its Consulate in Chengdu, China will open its mission in Chennai, making debut in the South for the first time.

However, the Chengdu Consulate will cover the areas of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou provinces and Chongqing Municipality, according to the officials.

Tibet, which is next door to Sichuan is conspicuously missing from its purview.

Lhasa, the provincial capital of Tibet was the first choice for India for its third consulate but opted for Chengdu after China showed reluctance to accommodate New Delhi's wish.

Tibet continues to be a sensitive issue for China, specially in view of its staunch opposition towards Dalai Lama and Tibetans in exile. Beijing views Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule, to be a separatist.

Except for Nepal, China has not permitted any foreign country including US to open their Consulates in Tibet and foreigners need special permits to visit the remote Himalayan region.

Karnataka is also missing from the purview of China's Consulate which will cover, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

Besides the Embassy in New Delhi, China has Consulates in Mumbai and Kolkatta.

India has Consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou besides its Embassy in Beijing.

India also has a Consulate in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, which functions under the Embassy in Beijing.