Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- The Dalai Lama was greeted by thousands of supporters as he began a weeklong visit to the disputed Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, angering China which claims the region and accuses him of separatist activities.

Devotees of the Tibetan spiritual leader yesterday lined the streets of the northeastern border town of Tawang, where he first crossed into exile 50 years ago. Many held white scarves and flowers as offerings, while others burned incense sticks and chanted prayers.

China’s Foreign Ministry has denounced the visit as a “separatist action” aimed at damaging relations between China and India. The neighboring countries fought a 1962 war over the Himalayan region, which remains a source of strained ties between the governments in Beijing and New Delhi.

“It is quite usual for China to oppose my visit,” the Dalai Lama, 74, told reporters yesterday. “China’s opposition to my visit is totally baseless because wherever I go there are two objectives: one is to promote human values and the other is the promotion of harmony.”

India gave refuge to the Dalai Lama when he fled Tibet across the Himalayas after a failed uprising in 1959. He set up a government-in-exile in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala in 1960.

While the Nobel Peace Prize winner says he is seeking autonomy for Tibet, the government in Beijing says he is waging a separatist campaign. China accused his “clique” of organizing the largest Tibetan uprising in almost two decades in March 2008, when riots broke out in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.

Buddhist Monastery

The Dalai Lama is visiting Tawang, home to a Buddhist monastery of his Gelugpa sect, “to teach,” aide Tenzin Takhla said last week.

Security in the town of 35,000 people was increased for the visit, with 300 personnel drafted in from neighboring districts to complement the 105-strong police force, said Inspector S. Norbu. Streets have been cleaned and buildings repainted.

The monastery was established in 1681 and is one of the oldest in India. The Dalai Lama will open a hospital wing in Tawang that was built using funds he donated.

It is the Dalai Lama’s first visit to the town in six years and China began objecting two months ago. The government in Beijing also complained last month when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Arunachal Pradesh to campaign for his Congress Party in state elections.

‘Hue and Cry’

“During the last two months there has been this hue and cry in India that the country is not standing up to the Chinese,” said Alka Acharya, associate professor in Chinese Studies at New Delhi’s Centre for East Asian Studies. Not allowing the Dalai Lama to travel would have been seen as a “capitulation.”

More than 10 rounds of talks since 2005 have failed to settle differences between China and India over the region and negotiations between top officials last month ended with a vow to build “trust.”

While trade has flourished, China’s $4.3 trillion economy is nearly four times the size of India’s, racing ahead from being just over twice as large a decade ago. Indian exports to China rose 31 percent to $10.8 billion in the year to March 2008, and imports from China climbed 55.4 percent to $27.2 billion.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jay Shankar in Bangalore at jshankar1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 8, 2009 17:59 EST