Last week, Beijing lashed out over the US Congressional Gold Medal awarded to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, calling the award "interference in China's internal affairs."
The state-run press in China also published a series of articles condemning the Dalai Lama for his pro-Tibet activities. The anger of the Chinese government was to be expected, as the recognition granted the Dalai Lama hit a sore spot in Beijing's relationship with the West.
The Congressional Gold Medal is not just any medal. It is the highest honor awarded to civilians by Congress. Past recipients include George Washington, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Winston Churchill, which underscores the weight and significance of the award.
That both the US Senate and House of Representatives approved the bill on giving the award with an overwhelming majority also demonstrates Congress' attitude toward China's handling of the Tibet issue and, on a more general level, human rights.
Congress has voiced much more disapproval of Beijing on human rights issues than any other branch of the US government, which has often put Congress at odds with the US Department of State. Congress is also a better, more intimate reflection of the popular will of Americans, which makes its views something Beijing cannot afford to ignore.
What makes the situation even more awkward for Beijing is that US President George W. Bush will attend the award ceremony on Wednesday, marking Bush's first-ever public meeting with the Dalai Lama.
In recent months, the Dalai Lama has met a number of Western leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
Then as now, Beijing explicitly objected to such meetings.
To Beijing, such events highlight the fact that while the West is wiling to do business with China -- even as the latter gains more internationally -- there is a growing aversion to the manner in which it handles certain problems, especially Tibet and human rights.
While Beijing has constantly condemned the West for "interfering" in its internal affairs, respect for human rights has gained universal appeal and it is unlikely the West will relent on this matter.
With China so focused on preparing for the Olympic Games next year, these public condemnations are insufficient, in and of themselves, to make it change its ways overnight. But they are nevertheless construed by Beijing as a collective slap in the face.
Some have argued that China's reaction to recent criticism and to the award given the Dalai Lama has been surprisingly mild -- a result, perhaps, of the coming Olympics, which forces it to moderate its response to such sensitive issues, slap notwithstanding.
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