Tibet our internal affair, US told

By Wang Zhuoqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-12 07:53

China protested the United States' latest remarks on Tibet yesterday.

"We feel strong dissatisfaction and are resolutely opposed to it," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement. "Tibet is purely (a matter for) China's internal affairs, thus we protest if any country uses it as an excuse to interfere with our internal affairs."

Ma's comments came after both the US Congress and the State Department on Tuesday accused China's Tibet policy.

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Robert Wood, acting spokesman for the US State Department, said Washington was "deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Tibetan areas" and urged China to take steps for a "substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama's representatives".

A day before Wood's statement, Nancy Pelosi, US House speaker, introduced a resolution to the Congress that would urge China to end its "repression" in Tibet.

According to Professor Tao Wenzhao of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Pelosi was trying to "attract more attention" by introducing the resolution on Monday - the day of Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's arrival in the US.

"The resolution won't harm Yang's visit or Sino-US ties," said Tao and added that senior leaders from both countries understand that cooperation is key for countries to deal with the global financial turmoil.

The bill will not hamper the first bilateral talks between President Hu Jintao and his US counterpart Barack Obama in London next month. But it has interfered with China's internal affairs, Tao said.

In a related development, members at the ongoing session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference refuted Dalai Lama's Tuesday's speech on "religious oppression in Tibet", saying it was a blatant lie.