China accused the Dalai Lama of seeking to carve out a “Greater Tibet” yesterday and warned other countries to shun contact with him just days before a sensitive anniversary in the tense region.
Beijing has made similar accusations before, but Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi’s (楊潔箎) comments come amid a lockdown of Tibetan regions for Tuesday’s 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule that sent the Dalai Lama into exile.
“The Dalai side still insist on establishing a so-called Greater Tibet on a quarter of China’s territory,” Yang told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session in Beijing. “They want to drive away the Chinese armed forces on Chinese territory and ask all non-Tibetans to relocate themselves, people who have long spent their lives in that part of Chinese territory.”
“You call this person a religious figure?” he said.
The Dalai Lama, 74, who accuses China of cultural repression in Tibet, has repeatedly denied Beijing’s accusations. He says he seeks only meaningful autonomy for the region.
In another sign of growing vigilance ahead of next week’s anniversary, the Tibet Daily yesterday carried a front-page article showing the region’s Communist chief, Zhang Qingli (張慶黎), visiting riot police.
‘SEPARATIST SCHEMES’
“We must keep a watchful eye, and with clenched fists, be on the alert constantly,” Zhang was quoted as saying. “We must resolutely and directly strike at criminal elements who dare to stir up incidents. We must foil the separatist schemes of the Dalai clique.”
Following a bitter spat with Europe over a December meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama, Yang warned other countries that friendly relations hinged on rejecting the exiled monk.
“In developing relations with China, other countries should not allow the Dalai Lama to visit their countries or allow their territories to be used by the Dalai Lama to engage in separatist activities,” he said.
Unrest has simmered in Tibet since violent anti-Chinese riots erupted a year ago on the 49th anniversary of the 1959 uprising.
DAMAGED RELATIONS
Yang also called on France to take steps to fix relations damaged by the Dalai Lama row, while expressing confidence ties would improve.
“The problems in China-French relations are not caused by the Chinese side. We hope France will make a positive response to China’s concerns,” he said.
Sarkozy’s meeting with the Dalai Lama last year angered Beijing, which retaliated by canceling a summit with the EU in France that was scheduled for December.
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