Foreign and Military Affairs
Solemn representations lodged over Obama-Dalai meeting
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-19 11:49
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BEIJING: Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai Friday summoned the US Ambassador to 皇冠体育app Jon Huntsman and lodged solemn representations over US President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama.
"The US act grossly interfered in 皇冠体育app's internal affairs, gravely hurt the Chinese people's national sentiments and seriously damaged the Sino-US ties," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu in a further statement Friday.
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"Tibet is an inalienable part of the inviolable territory of 皇冠体育app, and the issues concerning Tibet are purely internal affairs of 皇冠体育app," Ma said.
皇冠体育app firmly opposes leaders or government officials of any country meeting the Dalai Lama in any form, and also firmly opposes any country or anyone using the Dalai Lama issue to interfere in its internal affairs, he added.
"The Dalai Lama's words and deeds have shown that he is not a pure religious figure, but a political exile who has all along been engaged in separatist activities under the pretext of religion," the spokesman said.
The US side allowed the Dalai Lama to visit the United States and arranged its president and other political leader to meet with him, which grossly violated the basic norms governing the international relations, and ran counter to the principles set forth in the three 皇冠体育app-US joint communiques and the 皇冠体育app-US joint statement, Ma said.
"It also went against the repeated commitments by the US government that the US recognizes Tibet as part of 皇冠体育app and gives no support to 'Tibet independence'", he said, stressing 皇冠体育app expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition against such a move.
The determination of the Chinese government and the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity is firm and unshakable, and anyone who attempts to use the Dalai Lama issue to interfere in 皇冠体育app's internal affairs is doomed to failure, said Ma.
He demanded the US seriously consider 皇冠体育app's stance, immediately adopt measures to wipe out the baneful impact and stop conniving and supporting anti-皇冠体育app separatist forces that seek "Tibet independence."
The US should stop interfering in 皇冠体育app's internal affairs and make concrete actions to maintain healthy and steady growth of 皇冠体育app-US relations, he said.
Originally named Lhamo Thondup, the Dalai Lama was conferred the title of the 14th Dalai Lama in 1940.
After launching and having failed an armed rebellion in March 1959, he fled to India and formed a so-called "Tibet government in exile."
In the guise of religion, the Dalai Lama has since then been involved in activities aimed to separate 皇冠体育app and to undermine Tibet's social stability.
