China slams EU leaders for meeting with Dalai Lama

Beijing, Sep 19: China today slammed the European Parliament leaders for receiving the Dalai Lama and warned that the meeting between them has harmed Beijing's "core interests" in Tibet.

It was reported that European Parliament President Martin Schulz and Elmar Brok, chairman of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, met with the Dalai Lama on September 15 despite strong opposition from the Chinese side.

"They have broken the promises the EU made to China on Tibet," spokesperson Lu Kang told a press conference. "Tibet issues are core interests of China," Lu said, stressing that the Chinese government is firmly against separatism.

Dalai Lama has been living in India since he escaped China after the failed uprising of 1959. China opposes the Dalai Lama's visits in any name or capacity to any country or organisation to engage in separatist activities, Lu said.

China is also opposed to any contact between the Dalai Lama and officials from any country or organisation.

China-EU ties are at a new stage, and relations between the parliaments are sound, but the meeting between the European Parliament's leaders and the Dalai Lama harms China's core interests and the political foundation of inter- parliamentary communication, Lu said.

China demands that the EU side take measures to nullify the negative effects of the meeting, he said.

PTI