As US welcomes Dalai Lama, China media blames 'meddling Indians'

The Dalai Lama last week was invited to deliver the annual commencement address at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in June.
By Shraddha Jandial

China's state media has launched a scathing attack targeting overseas Indians for "meddling" in China-United States relations after the Dalai Lama was invited to speak in the US later this year.
Although the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader has been warmly received by leading U.S. senators as well as leaders in European capitals, a commentary by a prominent strategic affairs expert in China's Party-run Global Times instead pointed the finger squarely at overseas Indians, warning they would "bear political consequences".
The Dalai Lama last week was invited to deliver the annual commencement address at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in June.
Xu Liang, who is the Executive Director of the Indian Studies Center at Beijing International Studies University, wrote: "What is laughable is that the person behind the infamous invitation was campus Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, an Indian American."
Khosla, incidentally, is an internationally recognised and renowned scientist and computer engineer.

THE INVITE
The invite, the Global Times commentary said, "shows how some Indian Americans agitate China-India and China-US relations." 

It said "he is not the first and the only person to take such action", and claimed that "in recent years, as Indian authorities gradually offset the support for the Dalai Lama, some public organizations supporting the Buddhist monk have become more active".
The paper claimed "some Indians in European countries have also tried to lobby local officials for more opportunities for the Dalai Lama to speak to an international audience. With a clear knowledge of the Chinese government's stance toward the issue, these Indians overseas are deliberately opposing China."

The commentary ended with a warning for the new Trump administration, saying that if it "wants to alter the consensus reached between China and the US after the end of WWII over Tibet, they will thoroughly embarrass themselves."
While the Global Times pointed the finger at "overseas Indians" for invitations to the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in fact, has been received by leading U.S. senators and members of Congress alike.

DALAI LAMA LEADS OPENING PRAYERS
In 2014, the Dalai Lama even led opening prayers in a landmark event at the Senate Chamber.
Moreover, the Dalai Lama's recent welcomes have received bipartisan support. 

Just last year, Republican Speaker Paul Ryan and Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, both of whom have been vocal about the Tibetan issue, hosted a lunch for the Dalai Lama at the U.S. Capitol during a 15-day visit to the U.S.
Pelosi, a leading Democrat, said then the "bipartisan luncheon is a tribute to the deep respect His Holiness enjoys on both sides of the aisle for the message of peace, compassion and responsibility he brings to the world."
"Every time His Holiness visits the Capitol," Pelosi said, "he reminds us that 'change comes through action,' and that Congress must do our part to help the Tibetan people in their fight to preserve their language, culture and religion."