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China warns France over meeting with Dalai Lama

AFP

French President Nicolas Sarkozy speaks to the press at the Elysee Palace in Paris on 13 November 2008. Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU presidency, said on Thursday that he will meet the Dalai Lama next month during a visit to Poland.AFP/Pool/Gerard Cerles/ France

China on Friday hit out at French President Nicolas Sarkozy ’s planned meeting with the Dalai Lama, warning it could hurt relations between the two countries.

“Currently relations between China and France, and Europe and China, are in the process of improving and developing, and this situation is the result of hard work. So we should cherish it,” foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

“We ask France to look at the big picture… pay attention to China’s serious concerns and handle relevant issues properly to promote the stable development of Sino-French and European and Chinese relations.”

Sarkozy is planning to meet the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, next month during a visit to Poland.

“We resolutely oppose foreign leaders having any form of contact with the Dalai Lama,” Qin said in a statement released in response to Sarkozy’s announcement.

China and France went through a rough patch this year when Sarkozy said his attendance at the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony was conditional on progress in talks between Beijing and Dalai Lama envoys on the future of Tibet.

He did attend the ceremony.

Protesters also disrupted the passage of the Olympic flame in several cities — including Paris — following unrest in Tibet, further damaging relations between China and France, although these have since improved.

The Dalai Lama has sought “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet since he fled his homeland following a failed uprising in 1959 against Chinese rule, nine years after Chinese troops invaded the region.

China claims he actually seeks full independence.

The Dalai Lama has already met French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, human rights minister Rama Yade and first lady Carla Bruni on a visit to France in August.

Sarkozy then declined to meet him after Beijing warned that such direct contact would have serious consequences for bilateral relations.

The Dalai Lama and Sarkozy will both be attending ceremonies in Poland to mark the 25th anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace prize to Lech Walesa, the anti-communist union activist who later became president.

The Buddhist leader was also awarded the prestigious prize in 1989.

Copyright © 2008 Agence France-Presse

Published in AFP/Google News