Accusing India of playing the Dalai Lama card against China, state-run Global Times on Friday warned this move will only end up in New Delhi "paying dearly for it".
The recent tensions amid India and China come as Beijing announced its decision to rename six places in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh which China considers to be a disputed territory. New Delhi protested this 'illegal' move.
It has been speculated that China's decision was triggered over its fury of India allowing the 14th Dalai Lama in the border region earlier this month.
The Global Times in an article on Friday said, "Putting the Dalai Lama into its toolbox against China is another trick played by New Delhi lately. New Delhi would be too ingenuous to believe that the region belongs to India simply because the Dalai Lama says so. India seems to have become trapped in its stubbornness to measure its strength with China."
The article said that territorial disputes cannot be settled by comparing which side is stronger or which country has more leverage, adding it is time for India to do some serious thinking over why China announced the standardized names in South Tibet at this time.
"Playing the Dalai Lama card is never a wise choice for New Delhi. If India wants to continue this petty game, it will only end up in paying dearly for it," it added.
The article also claimed that South Tibet is historically part of China and the name of the places there is part of the local ethnic culture, adding it is legitimate for the Chinese Government to standardize the names of the places.