China protests, Britain defends PM David Cameron-Dalai Lama meeting

[JAYRAM]

PTI | May 15, 2012, 07.03PM IST

BEIJING/LONDON: China on Tuesday took strong exception to British Prime Minister David Cameron's meeting with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama while London defended the "private get together", saying who the country's leaders choose to see is a matter for them.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao summoned British ambassador Sebastian Wood to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here and made "solemn representations" on Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader in London yesterday.

Song told Wood that the British leaders meeting the Dalai Lama was a "serious interference in China's internal affairs".

The Dalai Lama's meeting with Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg at the 10 Downing Street was officially described as "private get together" by the British officials.

In London, a UK government spokesperson defended the meeting, saying "who the prime minister and deputy prime minister see is a matter for them".

"Regardless of China's repeated representations the UK still arranged Prime Minister Cameron and other UK leaders to meet Dalai. This is a serious interference in China's internal affairs and an affront to the Chinese people besides undermining China-UK relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a media briefing here today.

He said the Tibetan issues are China's internal affairs. "Dalai is a long term political exile who is engaged in anti-China activities in the name of religion. China is a firmly against any country's to leaders meet with him in anyway and oppose any country or any individual use of Tibet related issues to interfere in China's internal affairs," he said.

"We demand the UK to take China's firm position and requirement seriously," he said, adding Britain should stop "self condoning and supporting Tibet independent separatist forces" and take immediate and effective measure to undo the damage.

Britain should adopt concrete measures to uphold larger interests of China-UK relations, he said.

China routinely protests world leaders meeting the Dalai Lama. Last year, US President Barack Obama met the Tibetan spiritual leader in the White House despite vociferous protests from Beijing.

China considered the Dalai Lama as a separatist seeking independence for Tibet. However, the Tibetan spiritual leader says he is seeking "genuine autonomy" for his homeland.


China protests, Britain defends PM David Cameron-Dalai Lama meeting - The Times of India

 

[Ray]

Good show, Cameron.

I like this man!

He is less namby pamby than the remainder unlike that earlier idiot of a Foreign Secretary David Milliband.

 

[Ray]

Surprising that China keeps howling about their pet peeves, like the Dalai Lama, not attending the Nobel Prize Ceremony that gave the prize to a Chinese who has done great service for humanity, not to protest the Olympic Flame movement and so on and yet no one bothers what China yelps about.

Winy do they like to get humiliated is the question!

 

[rock127]

Cameron should meet Dalai more often and invite to chai parties with more PM/Prez's of other countries.

It's funny how China expects leaders of other countries to follow its CCP rules.

 

[nrj]

Cameron should meet Dalai more often and invite to chai parties with more PM/Prez's of other countries.

It's funny how China expects leaders of other countries to follow its CCP rules.

Better yet we should encourage multinational meet in Delhi which includes Dalai Lama.

 

[rock127]

Better yet we should encourage multinational meet in Delhi which includes Dalai Lama.

Better invite him to DFI meets as well... afterall common people can also meet him

 

[ice berg]

Why dont your guys put it into ACTIONS instead of words. :cool2:

Unable to write a letter to invite his holiness or afraid to be rejected?

 

[fzaq]

why the protest?

 

[Ray]

Why dont your guys put it into ACTIONS instead of words. :cool2:

Unable to write a letter to invite his holiness or afraid to be rejected?

The Holiness the Dalai Lama lives in India.

Why should he be invited to live in India?

 

[badguy2000]

UK can do whatever it want to do ...if it doesn't care its business interest in CHina and UK needn't coopeartion from Dalai more than from CHina.

 

[Adux]

China aint going to do anything to UK, Congrats to UK PM, I like your spirit, it seems you have chosen sides.

 

[kickok1975]

I'm tired of these endless Chinese government protesting. Protest this, protest that, after protesting, it's business as usual. When can they realize it's a slap on their own face for useless protesting? Action speaks louder than talk. If CCP government can't deliver, better keep their mouth shut.

 

[satish007]

I'm tired of these endless Chinese government protesting. Protest this, protest that, after protesting, it's business as usual. When can they realize it's a slap on their own face for useless protesting? Action speaks louder than talk. If CCP government can't deliver, better keep their mouth shut.

Many Chinese agree some CCP officers heads were kicked by Donkey. they deal with these affairs using same way as 50 years ago.

 

[GromHellscream]

No, it's just a political gesture, to keep noise on this shit, and remind Chinese people what those "smart" countries, like Britain, are in nature. With Dalai's very limited influence in chinese civil people, CCP doesn't truly care this shit man.

 

[RedDragon]

I'm tired of these endless Chinese government protesting. Protest this, protest that, after protesting, it's business as usual. When can they realize it's a slap on their own face for useless protesting? Action speaks louder than talk. If CCP government can't deliver, better keep their mouth shut.

It's just a gesture, like the foreign country protest China. Do you think Philippines will do anything besides different kind of protests? Some time even only protest is useful.

 

[nrj]

China can't do anything more than verbal protests.

Sent via Tapatalk from a galaxy far far away

 

[panduranghari]

UK can do whatever it want to do ...if it doesn't care its business interest in CHina and UK needn't coopeartion from Dalai more than from CHina.

Is that a threat? I find it incredibly stupid for you to threaten anyone. If they move their production to another country, you guys will have productive capacity but no production.