China's Defence Minister and People's Liberation Army General Chang Wanquan made a rare visit to Sri Lanka and Nepal this week, Chinese state media warned India that Beijing will "fight back" if Delhi interferes into China's relations with South Asian countries, accoerding to India Today.
A hard-hitting commentary published Tuesday in the Global Times, a Communist Party-run tabloid published by the official People's Daily, said India was "treating South Asia and the Indian Ocean as its backyard with a hard-line manner."
"China hopes India can understand the pursuit of China and regional countries for common development, and be part of it. However, New Delhi doesn't share this thinking, instead seeking to balance China. If such tendencies in India continue, China will have to fight back, because its core interests will have been violated. This is not what we hope for, but the ball is in India's court," the commentary said.
The Global Times isn't an official paper, but is known to reflect opinions of certain sections in the party.
The commentary said China's deepening economic ties in South Asia - set to be further strengthened through the "One Belt, One Road" initiative - would likely be followed by closer security ties as well, despite Delhi's unease.
"When an increasing number of Chinese companies get established in these countries, it is inevitable that Beijing will boost defense collaboration with them to protect not only China's, but also the region's interest," the Global Times said.
The paper added: "[India's] uneasiness toward Beijing's growing influence in the region is obvious. For instance, New Delhi is one of the crucial reasons why China and Bhutan, which is controlled by India economically and diplomatically, have not yet established diplomatic relations. India's vigilance against China has also affected Sri Lanka and Nepal's relations with Beijing. Even if they are trying to balance between the two giant neighbours, New Delhi still regards their neutrality as a pro-Beijing policy."
The paper also claimed India was "intensifying its communication with the Dalai Lama, to display its strength and leverage in order to put pressure on or counterbalance Beijing."
On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was "strongly dissatisfied" with India inviting the Dalai Lama to open an international Buddhist conference in Nalanda, Bihar on Friday.