China criticizes Obama for meeting with Dalai Lama
China says it is opposed to foreign meddling in the country’s domestic affairs a day after US President Barack Obama held a meeting with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei slammed the United States for having the Dalai Lama at a high-profile prayer breakfast in Washington.
“We are against foreign countries interfering in China’s domestic affairs under the pretext of Tibet-related issues,” said the Chinese official.
Hong further accused the spiritual leader of seeking support from foreign countries “in order to realize his political end.”
During the breakfast, Obama welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize winner, calling him “a good friend.” He also said the Dalai Lama was “a powerful example of what it means to practice compassion.”
The event marked the first time the two met in public.
China has long opposed the Dalai Lama’s meeting with different heads of states as well as his visit to other countries that depend on Beijing for investment.
China has accused the 79-year-old Buddhist leader of being a separatist who supports the use of violence to set up an independent state. He is also accused of fueling unrest in the Himalayan region.
Beijing says the unrest in Tibet, which is incited by the West, is a plan by Beijing’s opponents to tarnish the image of the country.
The Dalai Lama fled a failed uprising in Tibet in 1959 and retired from politics in 2011. However, he maintains that he seeks only greater autonomy for Tibetan areas in China. Beijing regards Tibet as an integral part of its territory.
SZH/MKA/HMV
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