China knew it was coming. Don't be taken in by 'Dalai clique': China tells India." He has been living in India since 1958. India used to encourage Tibetan independence movements. A buffer state would have suited it just fine. It no longer believes it a realistic option. Indeed, China is looking to India to control the exiles. India has cooperated so far.

Beijing is happy about India's action in stopping the Dharmashala based Tibetan protesters from going over to Tibet. But it is worried that India may find it difficult to handle the situation if protests and demonstrations go beyond a certain point.

"Indian government has not fallen into the trap of western nations that are condemning government action in Tibet," Hu said.

"But we are worried India may find it difficult to sustain this approach if the agitation goes on for long. India might come under pressure from western countries to go soft on Tibetan protesters," he said.

The spreading of the unrest beyond Lhasa is troubling to China as are the reports seen bellow. They know it has only just begun and much depends on India. Lucky for them, the left effectively controls not only India's policy towards the US (blocking a most advantegous nuclear deal) but also towards China. Left Silent as House Erupts over Tibet crackdown reports the Times of India.

Usually at the forefront of action in Parliament, particularly over human rights issues, the Left presented a muted picture on Monday as MPs expressed anguish and concern over the crackdown on protesting monks in Tibet.

As MPs demanded that the government condemn the Chinese action, Left members remained silent spectators. In Lok Sabha, BJP, BJD and SP members criticized the crackdown in Tibet and some like Gorakhpur MP Adityanath took a sharp dig at Left MPs, referring to them as"China’s representatives" in Parliament.

Though a much smaller provocation, particularly from BJP, would normally have had Left benches on their feet, this time around they heard the yogi out without saying a word.

Adityanath said that Chinese brutality in Tibet reflected Beijing's expansionist mindset and urged the government to intervene. He pointed out that China had expressed disdain for Indian sensibilities on issues like Arunachal Pradesh where even a visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was enough cause for a Chinese protest. A similarly intolerant attitude was reflected in the action against Tibetan monks.

The Left's silence was all the more striking as the"Red" parties have spent most of last year strenuously denying that their opposition to the India-US nuclear deal had anything to do with their"soft" spot for China which has not been too comfortable about India officially becoming a member of the nuclear club.

The refusal to be even mildly critical of China coincided with the"off-the-record" insinuation from UPA partners that CPM and others have been blocking the nuclear deal with the US because of their sympathies with China.