Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning. File | Photo credit: AP
“China firmly opposes any country’s decision to allow the Dalai Lama to visit under any pretext,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday (August 22, 2024).
Senior US State Department and White House officials met with the Dalai Lama in New York on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) and “reaffirmed the US commitment to advancing the human rights of Tibetans,” the State Department said.
The meeting with the 89-year-old exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism was expected to cause an uproar in China, which considers him a dangerous separatist and opposes any contact with him by officials of any country.
“China has lodged a solemn protest with the US,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing. “We do not allow the Dalai Lama to engage in political separatist activities in the US.”
Last month, China expressed strong opposition to a US law signed by President Joe Biden that presses Beijing to resolve a dispute over Tibet’s demand for greater autonomy, and vowed to “firmly defend” its interests.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that “the appointment of the so-called special coordinator for Tibetan issues is an interference in internal affairs.”