Tibet issue is a thorn in China-Europe ties

Earlier this month, the Dalai Lama launched a new campaign of "exiled publicity" in Europe, which severely tests China-Europe political relations.

Looking back, we will find there did not exist a "Tibet issue" in the early period of China-European Union (EU) relations. In its first strategic document on ties with China, drafted by the European Commission in 1995, Tibet was not touched upon. The position remained unchanged when the Commission mapped out another policy in March 1998 on the establishment of a full partnership between the EU and China.

Unfortunately, in less than a decade, the so-called "Tibet issue" - an internal affair of China - has developed into one of the biggest issues causing friction and serious tensions between China and the EU. This has been caused by a string of complicated factors, but that China and EU relations have entered a stage of recurrent friction has contributed to the emergence of the Tibet issue on the agenda of Sino-EU bilateral relations.