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Foreign and Military Affairs

China opposes Obama-Dalai meeting

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-03 14:19

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BEIJING - China on Wednesday expressed firm opposition to the planned meeting between US President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama.

"China resolutely opposes the visit by the Dalai Lama to the United States, and resolutely opposes the US leader having contact with the Dalai Lama in any name or any form," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu.

"This position is consistent and clear," Ma said.

Ma was responding to claims that Obama had told Chinese leaders about the meeting during his November visit to China.

"During President Obama's November visit to China, Chinese leaders had expressed China's solemn stance of opposing leaders and officials of any country meeting the Dalai Lama," said Ma.

During Obama's China visit, when leaders from both countries talked about Tibet-related issues, China clearly asked the US not to allow Tibetan separatist forces to use the US territory for separatist activities against China, Ma said.

"We urge the US to realize the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues and handle them properly so as to avoid further undermining the China-US ties," Ma said.

Ma's comments came a day after an official from the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee warned against the meeting.

Zhu Weiqun, executive vice minister of the UFWD, Tuesday warned of serious damage to Sino-US relations if US leaders were to meet with the Dalai Lama, saying the move would "harm others but bring no profit to itself either."

Such a move would be both irrational and harmful, he said. "If a country decides to do so, we will take necessary measures to help them realize this."