No “special envoys” of the Dalai Lama are visiting China for official discussions about the status of Tibet despite such reports from the Tibetan government in exile, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday.
People with “tight connections” to the Dalai Lama, a Tibetan spiritual leader who Beijing calls an advocate of independence for Tibetan areas under Chinese control, have visited China to learn about Chinese policies, see friends and personally observe changes in Tibet under Chinese rule, ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a scheduled press briefing.
He said the visits were being made in a private capacity.
The Dalai Lama on Tuesday appointed two envoys from the India-based Tibetan government in exile to carry out their fifth round of talks with officials in China, his secretary said in a statement. The two envoys and two aides reached China on Wednesday for a visit of seven to 10 days, said Tempa Tsering, the government-in-exile’s ambassador to India.
“I would say they are returning to the motherland to join and pay visits to friends,” Qin said, rejecting a journalist’s description of the visitors as “special envoys.”
China took over Tibet in 1951. Although China has built up infrastructure in the area, its social and religious controls have fueled an independence movement with support in and outside the country.
The Dalai Lama’s representatives hope this week and next to talk with Chinese officials about more “genuine autonomy” for Tibet but will not push for independence, Tsering said. The Dalai Lama is satisfied with the continuing talks in China, his secretary said in a statement.
