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China confident of India's Tibet commitment

By Anil K Joseph in Beijing
November 20, 2006 18:20 IST

As Tibetans in India protested against the visit of President Hu Jintao, China on Monday expressed confidence that New Delhi will implement its commitments on the Tibet issue.

"Indian government has acknowledged that the Tibet Autonomous Region is a part of the territory of the People's Republic of China, (and that it) would not permit Tibetan people in India to engage in anti-China activities," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told PTI ahead of Hu's first state visit to India from Monday.

"We express our appreciation and attach importance to the above mentioned commitment," she said.

"We hope and are confident that the Indian side would adhere to this position and implement relevant commitments," she said when asked if Hu, during talks with the Indian leadership, will seek any new concessions from New Delhi on the Tibet issue as well as on the stay of the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama in India.

The Dalai Lama fled to India from Tibet after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

China often describes the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner as a "separatist" who is engaged in splitting Tibet from rest of the motherland.

However, the Dalai Lama said he has given up his original demand for his Himalayan homeland's independence and instead talks of "genuine autonomy" to preserve Tibet's unique culture, language and environment.

Anil K Joseph in Beijing
Source: PTI
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