Link with Dalai not helpful for Austria-China ties

VIENNA - Shi Mingde, the Chinese ambassador to Austria, said Monday that "all relations" Austrian politicians have with the Dalai Lama are "not helpful for good relations between Austria and China."

Austria should not provide room for the separatist activities of the Dalai Lama, Shi told Xinhua.

The ambassador stressed "Tibet is part of China" and it was therefore "a question of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of China."

Shi also said the Dalai Lama, in talks with the Chinese government, irrationally demanded to control not only the present Tibet autonomous region but also the entire Tibetan plateau, which constitutes a quarter of the Chinese territory.

This is a condition that the Chinese leadership can't accept in any way, he said.

Tibetans are living well in China even if the group around the Dalai Lama wants to lie to the world about its standard of living, Shi said, adding the average life expectancy in the region has increased from 35 to 67 years since 1959.

The recurrent self-immolation of Tibetan monks in a few monasteries were orchestrated and instigated, he said.

In March 1959, the Dalai Lama and his followers failed in an insurgency in Tibet and fled China.

After concluding a trip to Britain, the Dalai Lama arrived in Austria on Thursday for a 11-day visit.