Beijing, May 27 – CHINA today criticised Britain for agreeing to host the Dalai Lama, and has made strong representations to London for encouraging his “splittist activities”.
“We oppose the Dalai Lama and his followers engaging in splittist activities in the international arena and we also oppose any officials meeting the Dalai Lama,” said foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.
“We expressed our regret and dissatisfaction with the British side in meeting the Dalai Lama despite Chinese representation.”
Tibet’s spiritual leader in exile will be in London on Friday and will attend a reception with Prince Charles, although Prime Minister Tony Blair has declined to meet him.
Blair denied a face-to-face meeting was off his agenda for fear of angering China.
“No it isn’t,” Blair said in his weekly question period in parliament today. “I’ve actually met the Dalai Lama on previous occasions. I’ll be very happy to meet him again on subsequent occasions.
“As for the issue of Tibet … this is an issue we raise constantly with the Chinese,” most recently during Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s visit to London earlier this month “when we had a significant and long discussion on Tibet,” he said.
The Dalai Lama, 68, fled Tibet after an abortive uprising in 1959 and established a government-in-exile in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala.
