Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Dalai Lama is in political exile in India and accused him of engaging in “anti-China separatist activities.”

China on Monday lodged a protest with India over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday greetings to the Dalai Lama and the participation of Indian ministers at his 90th birthday celebrations, asking New Delhi to respect Beijing’s sensitivities on Tibet-related matters,

The 14th Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism, marked his 90th birthday Sunday with a celebration attended by thousands in the city of Dharamshala in India.

China said on Monday it protested to India over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings to the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday and the attendance of Indian officials at the celebrations, stressing New Delhi should fully appreciate Beijing’s sensitivities on Tibet-related issues.

Tibetan Buddhist monks-in-exile celebrated their spiritual leader and 14th Dalai Lama’s 90th birth anniversary in Shimla. Monks-in-exile offered prayer for the long life and better health of their spiritual leader Dalai Lama.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he joins 1.4 billion Indians in extending “our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday.”