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New Zealand's Key denies bowing to China on Dalai Lama

By Martin Kay | The Dominion Post

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key rides in a rickshaw heading to a state dinner during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Singapore on 14 November 2009.File photo/AFP/Getty Images/Laurent Fievet/Singapore

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has been accused of caving to pressure from China after saying he will not meet the Dalai Lama.

Mr Key denied China had leaned on him, but conceded its well-known disapproval of world leaders who meet the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader was a factor in his decision.

“I had some discussions with the Foreign Minister [Murray McCully] about it. I think we would understand the way the Chinese would deal with these things, but on the other side of the coin, that wasn’t the over-riding factor. There were a number of factors involved.”

The Dalai Lama is in Auckland for two days next month. He will meet Labour leader Phil Goff, who also met him when he was foreign affairs minister.

Mr Key said he told Chinese President Hu Jintao of his decision when they spoke at the Apec summit in Singapore last weekend, but Mr Hu had not raised the issue.

The decision is contrary to Mr Key’s previous position that he would meet the Dalai Lama if his diary allowed.

Dalai Lama Visit Trust spokesman Neil Cameron said China may not have overtly influenced Mr Key, but it did not need to. “The decision was inevitable given the reluctance of New Zealand governments to meet with the Dalai Lama in recent years. There can be only one reason for that, and that reason is China’s political and economic influence in New Zealand.”

Mr Goff declined to comment on Mr Key’s decision.

United States President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd are among leaders who have recently declined to meet the Dalai Lama.

Copyright © 2009 Fairfax New Zealand Limited

Published in The Dominion Post