China allows pilgrimage to Tibet by Indian travelers

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China on Monday said Indian pilgrims intending to visit Tibet will resume this summer, state media reported.

“According to the consensus reached between China and India, the pilgrimage for Indian pilgrims to Xizang's sacred mountains and lakes will resume this summer, and both sides are currently working on the necessary preparations,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing, according to the state-run Global Times.

China refers to the southern Tibet region as the Xizang Autonomous Region.

“Indian pilgrimages to the sacred mountains and lakes in Xizang are an important aspect of China-India people-to-people and cultural exchanges,” Guo said, adding Mount Kangrinboqe and Mapam Yumco Lake, located in Xizang, “are sacred sites for believers of several religions, including Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism.”