China warns Obama against meeting Dalai Lama

Beijing, Feb 2: China on Tuesday, Feb 2, warned US of a strain in the Sino-US relationship, if the latter meets the Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama during his upcoming visit to US.

Stating that the meeting would bring 'harm to others but bring no profit to itself either', Zhu Weiqun, a Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department of China's ruling Communist Party said that Obama- Dalai Lama meet would be strongly opposed.

"If that comes to pass, then China will be strongly opposed as always," Zhu said, adding that US would violate international rules by meeting the exiled Tibetan leader.

A newspaper report quoted Zhu as saying that the meeting would be 'both irrational and harmful'.

"A meeting would be totally at odds with international accepted practices and would seriously undermine the political basis of Sino-US relations", Zhu said.

He added that US decision would further deteriorate the relationship between the two countries and add distrust.

"If the US leader chooses this time to meet the Dalai Lama, that would damage trust and cooperation between our two countries, and how would that help the United States surmount the current economic crisis?" said Zhu.

China's opposition to US meeting with Dalai Lama came, just as both the countries are at odds due to US companies proposals to sell $6.4 billion of weapons to Taiwan.

OneIndia News