As US Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues met the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, China protested and said it violated Washington's commitment that Tibet is part of China and it does not support Tibetan separatists. Beijing also said the visit was an interference in the internal matters of China.
The sharp reaction came after the Special Coordinator met the Dalai Lama and expressed US President Joe Biden and the American people's greetings to the Dalai Lama. She also expressed the gratitude of the world for the messages of peace that the Dalai Lama espouses.
The Tibetan government-in-exile, in a press statement, said she discussed the rich traditions of freedom and democracy in the United States and India. Tibetan leaders Penpa Tsering, Norzin Dolma and Namgyal Choedup besides members of the US Special Coordinator's delegation also attended the meeting.
“His Holiness expressed his happiness to meet Zeya and emphasised the oneness of all humanity. The Dalai Lama further said despite its best efforts, China has failed to win over the Tibetan people and transform their minds. Instead, he said, the thinking of the Chinese people itself is rapidly changing,” it stated.
The US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues was on a two-day visit to Dharamshala. On Wednesday, she visited the Central Tibetan Administration and held discussions with its leadership. She also visited the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, the Tibet Museum, and also met with members of the Tibetan civil society, according to the statement.
China said the meeting violated Washington's commitment that Tibet is part of China and it does not support Tibetan separatists. The Chinese Foreign Ministry criticised Zeya's visit, calling it an interference in China's internal affairs.
"Tibet is part of China and Tibetan religious affairs is China's internal affairs" China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing when asked about the Indian-origin senior US diplomat's meeting with the 86-year-old top Tibetan Buddhist leader. The US' appointment of a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues is an interference in China's internal affairs, he said, adding China firmly objects to it and has never recognised it.