Former Tibetan Parliament Dy Speaker responds to China’s claim on Indian territories

“ border standoff between India and China cannot come to an end until Tibet issue is resolved,” said Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, former deputy speaker of Tibetan Parliament in-exile over recent provocation by China. While seapking exclusively to Republic, Phuntsok said that India could only have peace along Himalayas after resolution of Tibet issue. 

Responding to China’s claim on Indian state Arunachal Presh and Aksai Chin region, which it occupied during 1962 Sino-Indian war, through standard map, Phuntsok underlined that originally China and India do not share any border. Before China occupied Tibet in 1959, India and Tibet shared a border, said former deputy speaker highlighting Chinese aggression. 

former deputy speaker of Tibetan Parliament in exile pointed out that resolution of India-China border issue is intricately linked to resolution of Tibet issue. With China's control over Tibet in 1959, tritional buffer between India and China was dismantled, thus making China a direct neighbour of India. “Tibet was illegally occupied by China from 1959. All border in Himalayan region was between India and Tibet till that time. Until Tibet issue is not resolved, Chinese establishment will keep repeating same thing and China’s attitude will never change,” said Phuntsok. 

Phuntsok urged Indian government to help Tibetan cause and ask China to resolve Tibetan issue through dialogue and negotiation. To achieve a lasting solution to Indo-China border conflict, it is imperative to dress Tibet issue at its core, emphasised Phuntsok. He said that Tibetan community in India has been urging Government for over 64 years to support Tibetan cause. Referring to China as a repeat offender, Phuntsok said that until Tibetan issue is resolved, “China will create same things like Galwan, Doklam, Nathula,” pointing at instances that took place near Uttarakhand border and Arunachal Presh. For context, China claims several areas of Uttarakhand and Arunachal Presh, referring to latter as ‘South Tibet’. 

Phuntsok has served as deputy speaker for 16th Tibetan Parliament in exile and is preceded by Dolma Tsering who is acting as deputy speaker for 17th Parliament, legislative arm of Central Tibetan ministration (CTA), running government in exile. 

China has once again stirred pot of longstanding border conflict with India by releasing a new edition of ‘standard map’ laying territorial claims over Arunachal Presh and Aksai Chin region. map also strengns China’s claims over Taiwan and South China sea by including m within Chinese territory in new map. timing raises questions as two state leers have recently met at BRICS summit in Johannesburg. India and China have been in a border stand-off for last three years now, after Galwan clash. While 19 rounds of talks have been carried out, nothing fruitful has been achieved.