China Rejects US Criticism of Human Rights in Tibet
By VOA News
11 March 2009
China has rejected U.S. criticism of the human rights situation in Tibet and has accused Washington of interfering in China's affairs.
China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement Wednesday after the Obama administration accused Beijing of harming Tibetan religion, culture and livelihoods.
Foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu expressed strong displeasure with the U.S. comments, saying they confuse the facts and could harm U.S.-China relations.
The Obama administration issued a statement Tuesday on the 50th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.
Chinese state media Wednesday ridiculed Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, for accusing China of turning his homeland into "hell on earth."
A commentary by the official Xinhua news agency portrayed the Dalai Lama as a child seeking to draw attention to himself by "crying."
The commentary also said Tibet had become a "paradise on earth" under 58 years of Chinese rule.
The U.S. also appealed to China to open a substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama's representatives. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma said such talks will make progress only if the spiritual leader stops campaigning for Tibetan independence.
The Dalai Lama denies seeking independence. In a speech to thousands of Tibetan exiles in northern India Tuesday, he repeated a call for greater autonomy for Tibet.
The Dalai Lama also accused Beijing of killing hundreds of thousands of Tibetans since taking control of Tibet in 1951 and bringing "untold suffering and destruction" to the region.
Residents of Tibet's capital, Lhasa, said Chinese police maintained a heavy street presence Wednesday to prevent protests marking the anniversary of the 1959 uprising.
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on a non-binding resolution calling for a multilateral effort to bring about a peaceful solution to the Tibet issue. China has urged lawmakers not to pass the resolution.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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