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PRC attacks US on Dalai Lama award

The Dalai Lama greets supporters in front of the Capitol dome on Wednesday during festivities honoring him in Washington. PHOTO: AFP

China demanded yesterday that the US correct "its erroneous act" of honoring the Dalai Lama, saying the move seriously undermined relations between the countries.

US President George W. Bush presented Tibet's exiled spiritual leader with the US Congress' highest civilian honor on Wednesday and urged Chinese leaders to welcome him to Beijing.

"The move of the United States is a blatant interference with China's internal affairs which has severely hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and gravely undermined the relations between China and the United States," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (劉建超) told a regular news briefing.

He said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (楊潔箎) had summoned US Ambassador Clark Randt to express a "strong protest to the US government."

"China urges the United States to take effective measures immediately to remove the terrible impact of its erroneous act, cease supporting and conniving with the separatist activities of the Tibet independence forces ... and take concrete steps to protect China-US relations," Liu said.

Beijing has warned that giving the award to a person it believes is trying to split the country would have serious consequences, but Liu refused to say what China would do.

"The US is fully aware of what kind of actions will benefit China-US relations," Liu said.

Bush praised a man he called a "universal symbol of peace and tolerance, a shepherd of the faithful and a keeper of the flame for his people."

"Americans cannot look to the plight of the religiously oppressed and close our eyes or turn away," Bush said at the US Capitol building, where he handed the Dalai Lama the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal.

The Dalai Lama is lauded worldwide as a figure of moral authority, but China reviles him as a separatist and has vehemently protested the elaborate public ceremony.

The 72-year-old monk and 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate says he wants "real autonomy" for Tibet, not independence.

Bush said he did not think his attendance at the ceremony would damage relations with China.

"I support religious freedom; he supports religious freedom ... I want to honor this man," Bush told reporters at the White House. "I have consistently told the Chinese that religious freedom is in their nation's interest."

Bush wants to ease anger in China, which the US needs to manage nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea. He also wants to be seen as a champion of religious freedom and human rights.

Liu rejected Bush's suggestion that China welcome the Dalai Lama to Beijing.

"How China is going to deal with the Dalai Lama issue and the Tibetan issue is the internal affairs of China. Chinese people know better than anybody and we do not want other people telling us how to do that," he said.

During the award ceremony in Washington the Dalai Lama said he hoped the upcoming Beijing Olympics would make China more open and tolerant. Liu refused to directly answer a reporter's question of how China would deal with political activists during the event next summer.

"We hope the people from the world who love the Games will make this event a success to strengthen friendship and understanding," he said.
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