(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-11 19:07

BEIJING - China on Wednesday opposed the EU-US latest comment on Tibet, saying it meddled in the country's internal affairs.

"We pay attention to the related reports and counter the EU-US summit declaration on Tibet," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang.

His comments came on the heels of the joint declaration issued at the end of 2008 EU-US Summit that commented on Tibet and blasted China's human rights record.

Stressing Tibet constitutes an inalienable part of the Chinese territory, Qin said: "The Tibet issue is China's internal affair, so is the Chinese government's engagement with the Dalai Lama."

In the declaration, the leaders of European Union and the United States expressed their "concern about the recent unrest in Tibet and urged all sides to refrain from further violence."

They said they welcomed China's recent decision to contact with the Dalai Lama's representatives and encouraged both parties to move forward with a substantive, constructive and results-oriented dialogue at an early date.

In response to the EU and US call for China to "address its poor human rights record," Qin said the government has been making continuous efforts to promote and protect human rights.

"We buck any attempts to interfere in other nations' internal affairs on the pretext of human rights and oppose any double standards," he said.

The spokesman said China believed that disputes be addressed on the basis of equality and mutual trust and through dialogue and cooperation.