[ad_1]
By Rahul Gautam: China will skip the upcoming Global Buddhist Summit in New Delhi, scheduled to be held on April 20 and 21, amid tensions with India over border issues.
Speaking to mediapersons, International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) Director-General Abhijit Halder said, “The Chinese are not coming. Invitations were sent… From Taiwan, they (two delegates) are coming.”
ALSO READ | India’s engagement with China complex: MEA in annual report
Halder was talking to journalists jointly with Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy. IBC is the host of the summit in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture.
According to sources, the Chinese have not confirmed their presence so far and they are likely not to attend the event.
ALSO READ | India rejects China’s objections to Amit Shah’s Arunachal visit
Apart from this, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama is expected to attend the summit on Day 2 of the event. Sources added that Dalai Lama would be travelling to Delhi via Jammu on early Thursday morning and could grace his presence at the event.
“His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be coming to meet the Sangha leaders. He is a patron who has achieved a very high level of significance in the realm of Buddhism. Other patrons from other countries like Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar, etc. will also attend,” sources said.
Reddy said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to inaugurate the first Global Buddhist Summit on April 20 at the Ashok hotel in the national capital. The PM is expected to address the gathering at 10:30 am.
According to the Culture Ministry, the Global Buddhist Summit will be a medium to enhance the cultural and diplomatic relationships with other countries. The ministry informed that delegates from almost 30 countries are expected to participate in the event and around 171 delegates from foreign countries and 150 delegates from Indian Buddhist organisations are slated to attend the summit.
The discussions will be held under four themes: Buddha Dhamma and Peace; Buddha Dhamma: Environmental Crisis, Health and Sustainability; Preservation of Nalanda Buddhist Tradition; Buddha Dhamma Pilgrimage, Living heritage and Buddha Relics: a resilient foundation to India’s centuries-old cultural links to countries in South, South-East and East Asia.
The border row between India and China sparked in eastern Ladakh on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.
Ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in Galwan Valley in June 2020, which marked the most serious military conflict between both sides in the last few decades.
ALSO READ | Amid border standoff, China buys fresh lot of weapons used in Galwan clash | Exclusive
[ad_2]
