Historic Dalai Lama Conference Tests China-India Border Truce

India’s hosting of a major conference on a 17th-century Dalai Lama is testing recent efforts to ease tensions with China, analysts say. The event highlights a disputed border region central to long-standing disagreements. The international conference focuses on the Sixth Dalai Lama, who was born in the present-day town of Tawang. India administers this area as part of its Arunachal Pradesh state. China, however, claims the same territory, which it calls Zangnan. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu inaugurated the four-day gathering. The location underscores India’s cultural and administrative links to the region. The Dalai Lama is a pivotal figure. China governs Tibet and selects its own Dalai Lama successors, while India hosts the current, exiled 14th Dalai Lama. By celebrating a past Dalai Lama’s legacy in the contested area, India’s move risks inflaming diplomatic sensitivities during a fragile period of military disengagement along the shared frontier.