China president visit to Tibet a threat to India: US lawmaker

CHINESE president Xi Jinping’s visit to Tibet last week is a threat to India, US Republican Congressman Devin Nunes told Fox News in an interview.

Last week, Xi made an unannounced three-day trip to Lhasa, a strategically important region and Nyingchi in Tibet.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China, met top officials of the Tibet Military Command and reviewed development projects in the region.

Nunes accused the US president Joe Biden’s administration of falling short in its efforts to stop the Chinese "march".

"Just last week, you had Xi Jinping, the Chinese dictator, on the border with India, in Tibet, claiming victory. This was the first time in 30 years, I believe, that a Chinese dictator had been to Tibet, and also threatening India, over a billion people also a nuclear power; threatening India that he's going to build a big water project, possibly cut off water to India," Nunes told Fox News.

This year, China sanctioned plans to build a huge dam over the Brahmaputra river during the current 14th Five-Year Plan, raising concerns for India and Bangladesh.

“The reality is that the Chinese are on the march, and the (president Joe) Biden administration is letting them do whatever they want," Nunes said.

Xi’s first visit to Tibet coincides with the ongoing India-China military tensions in eastern Ladakh.

Since May 2020, India and China have been locked in a military standoff at multiple points in eastern Ladakh.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet, which is firmly rejected by India. The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC).

China is accused of suppressing cultural and religious freedom in Tibet, while Beijing has rejected such accusations.

Beijing has been cracking down on Buddhist monks and followers of the Dalai Lama, who continues to be the widely admired spiritual leader and worshipped by Tibetans.