(TibetanReview.net, Apr02, 2015) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India is to announce the opening of a new Indian consulate in Chengdu, capital of China’s Sichuan Province, during his May visit to Beijing, reported India’s PTI news agency Apr 1. India has been seeking to reopen its consulate in Tibet’s capital Lhasa for some while, but China was reported to be not receptive to the idea, forcing it to opt for Chengdu instead.
India had a mission in Lhasa since its days under British rule but it was closed down after the Sino-India border war of 1962. Nepal is the only foreign country which still has a consulate in Lhasa.
India is not the only country seeking to set up a consulate in Lhasa. The United States too has been intending to set up one. Because of China’s refusal, the US Congress has mandated that no new Chinese consulate be allowed to be set up in the country unless China relents on a US consulate in Lhasa.