Envoys of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama have arrived in Beijing for informal talks with Chinese officials, the Dalai Lama's secretary said yesterday.
The envoys planned to hold a fifth round of talks on the future of Tibet, which China has controlled since 1951, Tenzin Geyche Tethong said in a statement issued in Dharamsala, India, the home of the Tibetan government in exile.
"His Holiness is pleased that the present round of talks, which began in 2002, is the longest process of continued interaction that we have had with the leadership in Beijing," the statement said.
"For the last four meetings, the envoys have had very candid and serious discussion with their counterparts in the Chinese leadership," the statement added.
China's foreign ministry confirmed that the party had arrived in Beijing but said they were private visitors rather than envoys, in keeping with the government's practice during previous visits.
"Recently, relevant authorities again approved the application for a visit in a private capacity," ministry spokesman Qin Gang (
"They are not envoys of the Dalai [Lama]; they came back to China in their private capacity," Qin said.
Tenzin Geyche Tethong's statement named the chief envoys as Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen.
"The envoys received their final instructions from His Holiness the Dalai Lama on February 13, 2006 in Bodh Gaya, where he is on a visit," it said.
Chinese Communist troops took control of Tibet in 1951. The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese occupation.
He has renounced independence in favour of maximum autonomy and religious freedom for Tibet within China, but authorities in Beijing continue to accuse the Dalai Lama of seeking independence and blames him for the lack of dialogue.
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