China calls on Bush to cancel meeting with Dalai Lama

China calls on Bush to cancel meeting with Dalai Lama

	Published : Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:47 By : Agencies Print this Story

BEIJING (ThomsonFinancial) - China called Tuesday on President George Bush to cancel a planned meeting with the Dalai Lama, warning the encounter would seriously damage relations between the two world powers.

'We express strong dissatisfaction and our firm opposition... this action will seriously undermine China-US relations,' foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

Liu was responding to a question about Bush's intention to meet the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader in Washington later Tuesday.

Bush will also attend a ceremony at the US Capitol on Wednesday, where the Dalai Lama is to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, a top US civilian award.

'The (US) Congress giving out the prize, and the leaders attending and meeting with the Dalai Lama, has seriously violated the basic principles of international relations, hurt the feelings of Chinese people and rudely interfered with China's international affairs,' Liu said.

'We have already made many representations to the American side and we would like to again prompt the American side to correct the mistakes and to cancel the arrangements.'

It will be the first time a sitting US president will appear in public with the Dalai Lama, who Beijing accuses of working to achieve independence for his Himalayan homeland.

China has ruled Tibet since sending troops in to 'liberate' the region in 1951.

The Dalai Lama fled to India following a failed uprising in 1959, and currently lives in the northern hill town of Dharamsala, which is also the seat of his government in exile.

The Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, insists he only wants greater autonomy for Tibet.

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