TOKYO, Japan: Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, on Saturday gave a statement hitting out China for opposing his Arunachal Pradesh visit next week. He said that it reflected a “negative attitude” because his AP trip was only for teaching.

He added that his proposed visit to Tawang monastery in the Arunachal Pradesh state of India was not his first one and so he was surprised and saddened by criticism of China over it.

Dalai Lama will be visiting Tawang monastery on November 8.

He said to the media, “I was surprised at China’s criticism. If my visit creates problem, I am very sad, that’s all… So now I think when the Chinese government (opposes) … (then they have) some sort of a negative attitude or seriousness about my visit… I am a little bit of surprised.”

Dalai Lama, 74-year old, is a Nobel Prize winner for peace. He also said that his visits were too much politicised by the Chinese government and also mentioned, “Where I go is not political.”

He said Tawang held great memories for him because this place was his first stop fifty years before when he was forced to flee to Tibet.

Over Dalai Lama’s proposed visit to Arunachal Pradesh, India and China recently had a a verbal talk. China objected Lama’s visit to India, but India had rejected this objection of Chinese government saying that the spiritual Tibetan leader was free to travel anywhere in India.