Beijing:China today denounced a telephone call made last week by US President George W Bush to the Dalai Lama as interference in Beijing s internal affairs. Bush called the Dalai Lama to express concern over the health of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, who recently cancelled two international trips so he could recover from exhaustion. We firmly oppose it, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement on the ministry s Web site.
This act shows that the US is seriously interfering with China s internal affairs and supports Tibet independence. Liu said Beijing had lodged solemn representation with Washington over the call, which Bush made from New York while he was attending the UN General Assembly s annual meeting. Liu also reiterated Beijing s longtime stance that Tibet is an inseparable part of mainland China. Tibet has been an extremely sensitive topic since protests against Chinese rule turned violent in the region s capital of Lhasa in March.
Many Tibetans insist they were an independent nation before Communist troops invaded in 1950,while Beijing says the Himalayan region has been part of its territory for centuries. The Dalai Lama is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a recipient of the US Congressional Gold Medal. He has denied China s claims that he wants independence for Tibet, saying he only seeks greater autonomy to protect its Buddhist culture.
