Wen

New Delhi, April 1: China has asserted that Sikkim is an integral part of India but wants Delhi to reaffirm that it will not allow the Dalai Lama or his followers to use Indian territory for anti-Beijing activities.

China suggested this trade-off a little over a week before Premier Wen Jiabao arrives in India on April 9 on a four-day official visit to strengthen bilateral ties and build a ?strategic partnership?.

The two sides are likely to stress on an agreement on the ?political parameters? and guiding principles to resolve the decades-old boundary dispute and also chalk out pacts in various fields ranging from strengthening cooperation in trade and information technology to culture and tourism.

Delhi has already agreed to acknowledge Tibet as an integral part of China and has given its firm commitment that it will not allow Tibetan exiles to launch anti-Beijing activities from Indian territory.

However, these assurances were given in June 2003, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited China as Prime Minister heading the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government.

Now, the Chinese vice-foreign minister, Wu Dawei, has said in Beijing that he wants the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government to assure Beijing during Wen?s visit that it will not allow the Dalai Lama and his followers to carry out anti-China activities.

Beijing?s assertion comes in the backdrop of the Dalai Lama giving clear signals that he has been looking for ?autonomy? within China.

Beijing is keeping a close watch on the Dalai Lama and wants an assurance that neither he nor his followers are willing to make common cause with those campaigning for Taiwan?s independence.

Tibet was raised at the recent joint working group meeting between Wu and foreign secretary Shyam Saran. But that the vice-foreign minister has raised it again indicates that China wants India to repeat the assurance officially during Wen?s visit.

Beijing has, on its part, shown willingness to move forward on Sikkim. China has, in private conversations with Indian leaders, already conceded that Sikkim is an integral part of India. Now there are indications that when the Chinese Premier meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later this month, he will assert Beijing?s stand on Sikkim more categorically and publicly.

?It is no longer an issue between us. Sikkim is an integral part of India and there is no problem over that,? the Chinese ambassador in Delhi, Sun Yuxi, said today.

The envoy made it clear that China had taken steps to reflect this view in all its official maps and websites.

?If you see Sikkim being shown as a separate country in any of our maps, please tell me. We will immediately correct it,? he said.

However, differences remain between the two nations on Pakistan, Nepal and Indo-US relations.

?We have nothing against India?s growing ties with the US,? Sun said, pointing out that China, too, has good relations with the US, which is the country?s second-largest trading partner. ?But Indo-US ties should not be directed against a third country,? he said.