BEIJING, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- The Dalai Lama's meeting with U.S. President Bush has angered China, which accused the Tibetan spiritual leader of carrying out secessionist activities.
In a strongly worded statement, carried by China's official Xinhua news agency, China also rejected the United States' annual report on religious freedom.
"The Dalai Lama is not a simple or a pure religious figure. He is a political exile who undertakes secessionist activities abroad," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. "We oppose meetings between him and other leaders."
Bush's Wednesday meeting with the Dalai Lama came ahead of the president's Beijing visit set for next week. China, however, said its views on the Dalai Lama wouldn't affect the trip.
The U.S. State Department in a recent report equated China with North Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, Iran, Sudan, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia as serious violators of religious freedom.
"We urge the U.S. government to stop interfering in China's religious affairs under the guise of the religion issue," Liu said. He said all people in China enjoy religious freedom in accordance with the law.
