China attacks Dalai Lama for hurting Sino-India ties

By Chris Buckley

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Tuesday accused the Dalai Lama of seeking to undermine Beijing's relationship with Delhi through a visit to a disputed border region, insulating India's government from direct Chinese wrath over the dispute.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader has riled Beijing by arranging a trip next week to Arunachal Pradesh, parts of which China claims as its own. The Chinese government has condemned the trip several times and asked Delhi to stop it going ahead.

But with ties between the two Asian giants strained by a flare-up of disputes over their shared boundary, Beijing apparently hopes to keep its ire over the trip, due to start Nov. 8, from inflaming diplomatic tensions.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu repeated earlier criticism of the Dalai Lama for "separatist" activities, but did not condemn Delhi for allowing the trip to go ahead, and underlined the importance Beijing places on Sino-Indian ties.

Blame for tensions, Ma said, rested with the Dalai Lama.

"The Dalai Lama often lies and often engages in acts to sabotage China's relations with other countries," Ma told a regular news briefing, when asked about the trip.

"I am confident that his scheme to wreck China's relations with the relevant country will come to nothing."

China claims about 90,000 sq km (55,900 square miles) of Arunachal Pradesh along the border as part of its territory, that it sees as "southern" Tibet.