Dalai Lama visits Tawang as China fumes

At the same time, India’s decision to let the Dalai Lama visit Tawang — just weeks after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Arunachal Pradesh — is another declaration of its sovereignty over the disputed border area.

For his part, the Dalai Lama no longer appears concerned about angering China since negotiations over his Himalayan homeland have gone nowhere, Raghavan said.

“The Dalai Lama really has nothing to lose,” he said. “The key thing is for him to be able to preserve Tibetan religion and culture.”