China said it has lodged an official protest with New Delhi after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly wished the 14th Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday and senior Indian officials attended celebrations in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing that the Dalai Lama is an “anti-China separatist” and urged India to “stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs.” Mao added that India should be “prudent in its words and deeds” and adhere to past commitments on Tibet, known in China as Xizang. Modi had posted that the Tibetan spiritual leader remains an enduring symbol of compassion and prayed for his long life. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Rural Development Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh and several state leaders also attended the birthday event. India’s External Affairs Ministry last week reaffirmed the country’s commitment to religious freedom when asked about the Dalai Lama’s succession debate. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959. His presence, and periodic Indian engagement with him, has long been a sensitive issue in Sino-Indian relations, which remain strained by a Himalayan border standoff and wider geopolitical rivalry.