Print
Feb. 2 (CBC News) - China warned Tuesday that President Barack Obama's plans to meet exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama would harm relations between the two superpowers.
The warning, from an official in charge of recent talks with the Dalai Lama's representatives, comes ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao's anticipated visit to the United States, possibly in April.
And it comes after China has already expressed its displeasure over the U.S. announcement Friday that it planned to sell $6.4 billion U.S. worth of arms to Taiwan.
Zhu Weiqun, executive deputy head of the Communist Party's United Front Work Department, said any meeting between the U.S. leader and the Dalai Lama would "seriously undermine the political foundation of Sino-U.S. relations."
China has ruled Tibet since 1951 after sending in troops to the Himalayan region the previous year, and has accused the Dalai Lama as the head of a separatist group. The Dalai Lama has maintained for decades he wants some form of autonomy for Tibetans to freely practise their culture, language and religion, but has not advocated independence.
U.S. officials have signalled in recent weeks that Obama might soon meet the exiled Tibetan leader, but the timing of a meeting has not been established.
Zhu did not specify what action if any China might take in response to a meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama.
"We will take corresponding measures to make the relevant countries realize their mistakes," he said at a news conference in Beijing.
