The Chinese government has demanded the U.S. not to meddle in Tibet Issue, following the meetings held in Washington where several American politicians met with the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
“Tibet Issue is China’s internal affair, and China firmly opposes any country or person intrudes in internal affair on the Tibet issue,” stressed Hong Lei, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Hong said that “words and actions of the Dalai Lama over the past decades show that he is not a purely religious figure but a political exile who has long been involved in activities aimed at splitting China under the pretext of religion”.
The US State Department has reported that the Dalai Lama met Wednesday with Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, Maria Otero, but has not yet decided whether to hold meetings at a higher level.
On Thursday, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, the leader of the Democratic Party in the House, Nancy Pelosi and other leading lawmakers met with the Dalai Lama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Tibetan spiritual leader met with U.S. President Barack Obama last year, a meeting that was strongly condemned by Beijing.
China often criticized the Dalai Lama and accused of supporting the use of violence to achieve independence for Tibet, which the Buddhist leader denies. He says he only wants genuine autonomy for this region.