The New York Times
Tuesday 16 October 2007
Beijing - Chinese officials warned the United States not to honor the Dalai Lama, saying a planned award ceremony for the Tibetan spiritual leader would have "an extremely serious impact" on relations between the countries.
Speaking at a Foreign Ministry briefing and on the sidelines of the Communist Party's ongoing 17th National Congress, the officials condemned the Dalai Lama as a resolute separatist and said foreign leaders must stop encouraging his "splittist" mission.
"Such a person who basely splits his motherland and doesn't even love his motherland has been welcomed by some countries and has even been receiving this or that award," Tibet's Communist Party boss, Zhang Qingli, told reporters during the congress.
"We are furious," Mr. Zhang said. "If the Dalai Lama can receive such an award, there must be no justice or good people in the world."
The Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has lived in exile since the Chinese army crushed an uprising in his homeland in 1959 and is revered as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists. He is scheduled to receive the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday after President Bush plays host to him at the White House today.
The White House today emphasized that the Dalai Lama's visit was that of "a spiritual, not a political, leader," and of a man whose movement was aimed at freedom of worship, not Tibetan independence.
"We would hope that Chinese leaders would get to know the Dalai Lama as we have gotten to know him: as a great spiritual leader," said an administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that the White House meeting would be at Mr. Bush's residence, not in the Oval Office, "which is appropriate and befits the Dalai Lama's role as a spiritual, not political leader."
The official also said that when Mr. Bush speaks tomorrow at the Congressional gold medal ceremony, "he will reiterate our views that the Dalai Lama is a great spiritual leader who leads a movement aimed not at independence from China but for the rights of the Tibetan people to worship freely and protect their lands."
The visit comes as the United States has been either seeking or relying on Chinese cooperation on an array of difficult issues: the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, the mass killings in Darfur and the recent crackdown on protesters in Myanmar.
China has pressed the United States to cancel the award event for months. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao said today that Beijing was "strong dissatisfied" and warned of an "extremely serious impact" if the events are held as scheduled. But he did not say what steps China planned to take.
This week, Beijing pulled out of a meeting at which leading world powers are to discuss Iran's nuclear program. Chinese officials cited "technical reasons" for not participating, but they left the clear impression that they might downgrade support for international efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program if foreign powers interfere in China's internal affairs.
China also recently canceled its annual human rights dialogue with Germany to protest Chancellor Angela Merkel's September meeting with the Dalai Lama.
But Beijing often uses strong language when warning other countries about interfering in its internal affairs without taking strong action. Giving an award to the Dalai Lama is highly unlikely to seriously disrupt relations with the United States, which has often sought to protect Chinese dissidents and has maintained close ties to Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.
Both Washington and Beijing say relations between the countries have been warm, especially after they worked together to bring about an agreement to end North Korea's nuclear program.
In recent months, China has stepped up its attacks on the Dalai Lama even though Chinese officials and envoys from the Tibetan leader have engaged in a on-and-off dialogue over terms of reconciliation.
While Beijing says it is willing to allow the Dalai Lama to return to China if he promises to respect Chinese sovereignty over Tibet, they have dismissed his efforts to work for a "middle way" that gives Tibet a higher measure of autonomy under continued Chinese rule.
Tibet's governor, Qiangba Puncog, said at the party congress that the dialogue had gone poorly.
"He should resolutely abandon his Tibetan independence stance and activities," Mr. Qiangba Puncog said. "But in my opinion, some of those activities are actually escalating and setting a lot of obstacles for further progress."
Ethnic tensions have risen in Tibet in recent months, prompting tough police action.
Rights groups said a group of Tibetan boys were detained in the northwestern province of Gansu last month after they were accused of scribbling slogans on walls calling for the Dalai Lama's return.
Four of the boys, all 15 years old, were still in detention. Police officers had used electric prods on them and were demanding payment for their release, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch say.
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Brian Knowlton contributed reporting from Washington.
China Protests Dalai Lama Honor
By Anne Gearan
The Associated Press
Monday 15 October 2007
Washington - China is protesting U.S. honors for the Dalai Lama this week by pulling out of a planned international strategy session on Iran sought by the United States, a State Department official said Monday.
China objected to participating in the meeting on the same day that the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader is to receive Congress' civilian honor at a ceremony attended by President Bush, the official said.
China is one of six nations that have offered Iran a deal to shutter disputed nuclear activities, and Wednesday's meeting in Berlin was part of the U.S.-led drive to punish Iran for spurning the offer.
China is considered the main holdup to U.S. plans to impose new United Nations sanctions on Iran this fall. China and Russia, which have economic ties to Iran, have gone along so far with an international effort to coerce Iran away from an alleged weapons program but negotiations on the next round of sanctions is expected to be difficult.
The six-nation diplomatic meeting is still expected to take place, perhaps a week later, said the U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe another country's motives.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy did not directly dispute the U.S. depiction, but said that the date for the Iran meeting was "not suitable" for the Chinese delegation.
As for the Dalai Lama, the spokesman, Wang Baodong, said the embassy strongly urges the U.S. side to "stick to its commitment of recognizing Tibet as part of China and not supporting Tibetan independence," saying the award will encourage separatist activities and further damage U.S.-China relations.
Bush will go to the Capitol on Wednesday to speak at the presentation of the medal, whose recipients have included Mother Teresa, former South African President Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and Ronald and Nancy Reagan. The president also will welcome the Dalai Lama in the White House residence Tuesday.
China has also recently canceled December human rights talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. China was incensed by Merkel's meeting with the Dalai Lama last month.
China routinely criticizes visits abroad by the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet for India in 1959 during a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
Winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, he remains popular among Tibetans and is widely respected abroad, despite efforts to undermine him by Chinese authorities.
China claims Tibet has been its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of that period.
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