India on Thursday sought to avoid engaging in a verbal duel with China after Beijing described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s telephone call to the Dalai Lama on the birthday of the spiritual leader of the Tibetans as “interference”.

Beijing aired its views on a day Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi met external affairs minister S. Jaishankar in Bali on the sidelines of a G20 meeting and called for early resolution of issues along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh.

Asked about Modi’s telephone conversation with the Dalai Lama, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a routine media conference: “Tibet-related affairs are China’s internal affairs and brook no interference by any external forces. China firmly opposes all forms of contact between foreign officials and the Dalai Lama.’’

Repeating the Chinese narrative on Tibet, Zhao added: “The Indian side also needs to fully understand the anti-China and separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama. It needs to abide by its commitments to China on Tibet-related issues, act and speak with prudence and stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs.’’

Modi had called the Dalai Lama on Tuesday ahead of his birthday on Wednesday to greet him and announced it to the world through a tweet. In his tweet posted on Tuesday night, the Prime Minister said: “Conveyed 87th birthday greetings to His Holiness the @DalaiLama over phone earlier today. We pray for his long life and good health.’’

Responding to Zhao’s criticism, his Indian counterpart at the external affairs ministry, Arindam Bagchi, pointed out that the Prime Minister did speak to the Dalai Lama last year also. “It has been the consistent policy of the government to treat His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, as an honoured guest in India, a respected religious leader who enjoys a large following in India,” the spokesperson said.

Stating that the Dalai Lama is accorded due courtesies and freedom to conduct his religious and spiritual activities, Bagchi said his birthday is celebrated by many of his followers in India and abroad, and the Prime Minister’s greetings should be seen in this “overall context’’.

The birthday greeting irritant for China comes close on the heels of the raids across the country on properties of the Chinese mobile company Vivo by the Enforcement Directorate earlier this week for alleged money laundering.

Zhao had on Wednesday said: “The Chinese government has always asked Chinese companies to abide by laws and regulations when doing business overseas. In the meantime, we firmly support Chinese companies in safeguarding their lawful rights and interests. We hope the Indian authorities will abide by laws as they carry out… the enforcement activities and provide a truly fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies….”

In New Delhi, the Chinese embassy spokesman Wang Xiaojian said in a statement that “the frequent investigations by the Indian side into Chinese enterprises not only disrupt the enterprises’ normal business activities and damage the goodwill of the enterprises, but also impede the business environment in India….”