FM: Dalai Lama visit harmful to EU ties

Beijing says nation's core interests ignored as experts brand parliamentary actions irresponsible

The meeting between the leaders of the European Parliament and the Dalai Lama has damaged China's core interests, the nation's Foreign Ministry said.

Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the remarks after the Dalai Lama visited the European Parliament on Sept 15, when he met with its president, Martin Schulz, and Elmar Brok, the chair of its foreign affairs committee.

"China resolutely opposes the wrong behavior by the European Parliament. It's impossible China will stay unmoved over such behavior," Lu said at a news conference on Sept 19 in response to a question on reports that China has postponed a visit by European Parliament members to the country.

The fact Schulz and Brok insisted on the meeting "despite China's strong opposition" has breached the European Union's stance on issues concerning the Tibet autonomous region as well as promises it has made to China, Lu said.

He did not comment specifically on the veracity of a Politico report that quoted European Parliament spokesman Jaume Duch Guillot as saying the visit to China had been postponed.

According to the Foreign Ministry, since fleeing to India in 1959 after a failed riot, the Dalai Lama has sought to split Tibet from China, including by stoking international intervention.

"The Chinese government resolutely stands against national separatism," Lu said. "It resolutely opposes ringleaders of the Dalai Lama clique engaging in anti-China activities or activities aiming to split China in any country or organization under any identity or name.

"It also opposes officials of any country or organization conducting any form of contact with them."

Interparliamentary exchanges between China and the EU have been enjoying good momentum, as ties are entering a phase of rapid development, Lu said, adding that China hopes Europe and the people concerned will change course and take effective measures to eliminate any negative influence from the meeting.

Cui Hongjian, director of European studies at the China Institute of International Studies, says the meeting with the Dalai Lama was irresponsible and goes against the principles of China-EU exchanges, which are to stick to the one-China policy and respect each other's core interests.

The meeting shows that China-EU ties "are experiencing some twists and turns" this year, Cui says, citing also as an example the European Parliament's resolution asking the European Commission not to grant market economy status to China this year.

Wang Yiwei, an expert on European studies at Renmin University of China, says the meeting is out of line with the good momentum of China-EU ties in recent years.

"It's certain that we will react to this incident," Wang says. "We will not tolerate this wrong act just because China-EU ties are developing."

wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/23/2016 page15)