China Warns U.S. on Dalai Lama Trip
By JOSEPH KAHN
Published: October 16, 2007
BEIJING, Oct. 16 — Chinese officials warned the United States on Tuesday not to honor the Dalai Lama, saying a planned award ceremony in Washington for the Tibetan spiritual leader would have “an extremely serious impact” on relations between the countries.
Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
The Dalai Lama arrived at his hotel in Washington on Tuesday before a meeting with President Bush.
Speaking at a Foreign Ministry briefing and on the sidelines of the Communist Party’s 17th National Congress, the officials condemned the Dalai Lama as a resolute separatist and said foreign leaders must stop encouraging his “splittist” mission.
“Such a person who basely splits his motherland and doesn’t even love his motherland has been welcomed by some countries and has even been receiving this or that award,” Tibet’s Communist Party boss, Zhang Qingli, told reporters during the congress.
“We are furious,” Mr. Zhang said. “If the Dalai Lama can receive such an award, there must be no justice or good people in the world.”
The Dalai Lama, a Nobel laureate, has lived in exile since the Chinese army crushed an uprising in his homeland in 1959 and is revered as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists. He is scheduled to receive the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday.
President Bush met with the Dalai Lama at the White House on Tuesday.
The meeting was clearly a matter of great sensitivity at the White House, which did not release a photograph of the Dalai Lama and the president, as it has in the past. “We in no way want to stir the pot and make China feel that we are poking a stick in their eye,” said Dana Perino, the chief White House spokeswoman. “We understand that the Chinese have very strong feelings about this.”
In fact, the Bush administration’s attempts to soothe Chinese feelings began more than a month ago in Sydney, when Mr. Bush accepted an invitation from President Hu Jintao to attend the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Mr. Bush told Mr. Hu at the time that he would attend the ceremony at which the Dalai Lama will receive a Congressional Gold Medal. And the White House emphasized Tuesday that Mr. Bush has always gone to the medal ceremonies, and that by protocol he will speak for about three minutes.
The visit comes as the United States has been either seeking or relying on Chinese cooperation on an array of difficult issues: the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, the mass killings in Darfur and the recent crackdown on protesters in Myanmar.
China has pressed the United States to cancel the award event for months. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao said today that Beijing was “strong dissatisfied” and warned of an “extremely serious impact” if the events are held as scheduled. But he did not say what steps China planned to take.
This week, Beijing pulled out of a meeting at which leading world powers are to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. Chinese officials cited “technical reasons” for not participating, but they left the clear impression that they might downgrade support for international efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear program if foreign powers interfere in China’s internal affairs.
China also recently canceled its annual human rights dialogue with Germany to protest the September meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Dalai Lama.
But Beijing often uses strong language when warning other countries about interfering in its internal affairs without taking strong action. Giving an award to the Dalai Lama is highly unlikely to seriously disrupt relations with the United States, which has often sought to protect Chinese dissidents and has maintained close ties to Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.
Both Washington and Beijing say relations between the two countries have been warm, especially after they worked together to bring about an agreement to end North Korea’s nuclear program.
In recent months, China has stepped up its attacks on the Dalai Lama even though Chinese officials and envoys from the Tibetan leader have engaged in a on-and-off dialogue over terms of reconciliation.
While Beijing says it is willing to allow the Dalai Lama to return to China if he promises to respect Chinese sovereignty over Tibet, the Chinese have dismissed his efforts to work for a “middle way” that gives Tibet a higher measure of autonomy under continued Chinese rule.
Tibet’s governor, Qiangba Puncog, said at the party congress that the dialogue with the Dalai Lama had gone poorly.
“He should resolutely abandon his Tibetan independence stance and activities,” Mr. Qiangba Puncog said. “But in my opinion, some of those activities are actually escalating and setting a lot of obstacles for further progress.”
Ethnic tensions have risen in Tibet in recent months, prompting tough police action.
Rights groups said a group of Tibetan boys were detained in the northwestern province of Gansu last month after they were accused of scribbling slogans on walls calling for the Dalai Lama’s return.
Four of the boys, all 15 years old, were still in detention. Police officers used electric prods on them and were demanding payment for their release, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch say.
Brian Knowlton contributed reporting from Washington
By JOSEPH KAHN
Published: October 16, 2007
BEIJING, Oct. 16 — Chinese officials warned the United States on Tuesday not to honor the Dalai Lama, saying a planned award ceremony in Washington for the Tibetan spiritual leader would have “an extremely serious impact” on relations between the countries.
Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
The Dalai Lama arrived at his hotel in Washington on Tuesday before a meeting with President Bush.
Speaking at a Foreign Ministry briefing and on the sidelines of the Communist Party’s 17th National Congress, the officials condemned the Dalai Lama as a resolute separatist and said foreign leaders must stop encouraging his “splittist” mission.
“Such a person who basely splits his motherland and doesn’t even love his motherland has been welcomed by some countries and has even been receiving this or that award,” Tibet’s Communist Party boss, Zhang Qingli, told reporters during the congress.
“We are furious,” Mr. Zhang said. “If the Dalai Lama can receive such an award, there must be no justice or good people in the world.”
The Dalai Lama, a Nobel laureate, has lived in exile since the Chinese army crushed an uprising in his homeland in 1959 and is revered as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists. He is scheduled to receive the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday.
President Bush met with the Dalai Lama at the White House on Tuesday.
The meeting was clearly a matter of great sensitivity at the White House, which did not release a photograph of the Dalai Lama and the president, as it has in the past. “We in no way want to stir the pot and make China feel that we are poking a stick in their eye,” said Dana Perino, the chief White House spokeswoman. “We understand that the Chinese have very strong feelings about this.”
In fact, the Bush administration’s attempts to soothe Chinese feelings began more than a month ago in Sydney, when Mr. Bush accepted an invitation from President Hu Jintao to attend the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Mr. Bush told Mr. Hu at the time that he would attend the ceremony at which the Dalai Lama will receive a Congressional Gold Medal. And the White House emphasized Tuesday that Mr. Bush has always gone to the medal ceremonies, and that by protocol he will speak for about three minutes.
The visit comes as the United States has been either seeking or relying on Chinese cooperation on an array of difficult issues: the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, the mass killings in Darfur and the recent crackdown on protesters in Myanmar.
China has pressed the United States to cancel the award event for months. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao said today that Beijing was “strong dissatisfied” and warned of an “extremely serious impact” if the events are held as scheduled. But he did not say what steps China planned to take.
This week, Beijing pulled out of a meeting at which leading world powers are to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. Chinese officials cited “technical reasons” for not participating, but they left the clear impression that they might downgrade support for international efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear program if foreign powers interfere in China’s internal affairs.
China also recently canceled its annual human rights dialogue with Germany to protest the September meeting between Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Dalai Lama.
But Beijing often uses strong language when warning other countries about interfering in its internal affairs without taking strong action. Giving an award to the Dalai Lama is highly unlikely to seriously disrupt relations with the United States, which has often sought to protect Chinese dissidents and has maintained close ties to Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.
Both Washington and Beijing say relations between the two countries have been warm, especially after they worked together to bring about an agreement to end North Korea’s nuclear program.
In recent months, China has stepped up its attacks on the Dalai Lama even though Chinese officials and envoys from the Tibetan leader have engaged in a on-and-off dialogue over terms of reconciliation.
While Beijing says it is willing to allow the Dalai Lama to return to China if he promises to respect Chinese sovereignty over Tibet, the Chinese have dismissed his efforts to work for a “middle way” that gives Tibet a higher measure of autonomy under continued Chinese rule.
Tibet’s governor, Qiangba Puncog, said at the party congress that the dialogue with the Dalai Lama had gone poorly.
“He should resolutely abandon his Tibetan independence stance and activities,” Mr. Qiangba Puncog said. “But in my opinion, some of those activities are actually escalating and setting a lot of obstacles for further progress.”
Ethnic tensions have risen in Tibet in recent months, prompting tough police action.
Rights groups said a group of Tibetan boys were detained in the northwestern province of Gansu last month after they were accused of scribbling slogans on walls calling for the Dalai Lama’s return.
Four of the boys, all 15 years old, were still in detention. Police officers used electric prods on them and were demanding payment for their release, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch say.
Brian Knowlton contributed reporting from Washington
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