China's state media said on Wednesday as the Dalai Lama began a rare visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh that India was "using" the Tibetan spiritual leader to convey its "displeasure" to China and "playing the Tibet card" to seek "diplomatic leverage".

The visit would also adversely affect relations, reported the Global Times, a Communist Party-run nationalistic tabloid published by the official People's Daily.

The paper quoted an unnamed expert as saying "this is not the first time India has used the Dalai Lama to express its displeasure to China, especially when bilateral talks fail to include their demands or to pander to domestic anti-China issues."

DALAI LAMA BEING USED AS A DIPLOMATIC TOOL

Another commentary in the paper published on Wednesday said that amid recent strains in ties the "Dalai Lama is now openly used by India as a diplomatic tool to win more leverage."

"New Delhi is dissatisfied with Beijing's stance over its membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and its request to name Masood Azhar, head of Pakistani militant group, to a UN Security Council blacklist. Therefore, Delhi attempts to play the Tibet card against Beijing," it claimed, adding "New Delhi may have underestimated Beijing's determination to safeguard its core interests".

"New Delhi should overcome its suspicions against Beijing. China doesn't allow India to free ride on its economic growth while jeopardizing Beijing's core interests," it warned.

The visit comes amid other strains in ties, from China's projects in PoK to its shielding of Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar at the UNSC sanctions committee.

The Global Times quoted an unnamed expert as warning "China would take steps against any government which invites the Dalai Lama to express its position to the international community."

HOW WILL DALAI LAMA'S VISIT AFFECT TIES WITH CHINA

"The Dalai Lama's visit to the controversial area, especially Tawang, which China hopes will be returned, will affect relations between China and India," added the expert, who was identified as being from the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the influential Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The expert pointed out that Tawang "is also the birthplace of the 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, which gives the place religious meaning to Tibetans."

India has stressed that the Dalai Lama's visit was purely a religious affair and without a political message. Further, India has pointed out the Dalai Lama had visited Tawang previously. China similarly issued warnings when the Dalai Lama visited Tawang in 2009.The Chinese Foreign Ministry said last week it was "gravely concerned" by the visit, and Beijing had raised the matter with India through diplomatic channels.

A prominent Beijing think-tank on March 23 reiterated China's claims to Tawang ahead of the visit, which is at the centre of China's territorial claims of 90,000 sq km in Arunachal Pradesh.

Lian Xiangmin, Director of Institute of Contemporary Tibetan Studies at the China Tibetology Research Centre (CTRC), an influential official think-tank that advises the government on its Tibet policy, said: "One of the three major temples of Tibet is Zhaibang (Drepung monastery near Lhasa), and Tawang was a subsidiary of Drepung and in history, Tawang's monks went to Drepung to study sutras. Tawang under Drepung also made contributions to the local government. So Tawang is part of Tibet and Tibet is part of China, so Tawang is part of China. So this is not much of a question."

Although Tawang may have had historical links with Lhasa, the real source of contention is whether or not Tibet was then a part of China as Beijing claims, or whether that only began with the People's Liberation Army's occupation of Tibet in 1951. Lian said the Dalai Lama's upcoming visit, as his 2009 Tawang trip did, would "undermine" relations. "In recent years, the Indian government has given support or made arrangements for the Dalai Lama to visit the Tawang region, so it seems to us as something not so friendly", he said.

Also read:

Dalai Lama reaches Arunachal Pradesh amidst opposition from China

China repeats warning ahead of Dalai Lama's Arunachal visit

India on China's objection to Dalai Lama's Arunachal Pradesh visit: Stop creating artificial controversy

WATCH THE VIDEO: