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For India, Tibet Poses Some Delicate Issues
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India and China share a border of more than 2,100 miles. Ties between the countries have been marked by suspicion and wariness since a 1962 war. India claims that China has illegally occupied parts of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, and China claims parts of the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
But relations between the two countries have warmed after several rounds of talks about the border conflict and trade. China has surpassed the United States as India's largest trading partner, with the Indians shipping products such as cotton and iron, and the Chinese sending cheap goods as well as electrical machinery, minerals and other products. It's a trading relationship that many analysts say will transform Asia in the coming decades.
"It is critical for India to separate the spiritual and political dimensions of the Tibetan issue," said Alka Acharya, who teaches at the Center for East Asia Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. "We distance ourselves from the Tibetan government on our soil and at the same time accord immense respect to the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader."
India may face its most difficult challenge when the Olympic torch arrives in two weeks. While India's national security adviser recently said the government would ensure that the torch relay goes as planned, rights activists have vowed to disrupt it as a way of drawing attention to abuses in China ahead of the Summer Games in Beijing.
Activist Tenzin Tsundue, 33, arrested a number of times after spectacular protests when Chinese leaders visit India, said he understands India's delicate position but believes it is his duty to warn India against China.
"India cannot trust China. The Tibetan issue is in India's long-term security interests because Tibet is a buffer zone between India and China," Tsundue said.
He and his colleagues are planning a protest for the arrival of torch.
"It is the torch of shame," said Tsundue, who, like many activists, has shaved his head to show solidarity with the monks and nuns arrested in China. "We are planning a big protest. We will remain nonviolent, but we will be creative."
