BEIJING, April 23 (UPI) -- China has called U.S. Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky's meeting with the Dalai Lama "irresponsible."
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu's strongly worded comments referred to the U.S. official's weekend meeting in Michigan with the Tibetan spiritual leader as a gross violation of the basic principles of the international relations. She said her county has made a "solemn representations" to the United States.
Jiang said Dobriansky's subsequent article in The Washington Post unfairly criticized China's policy in Tibet, Xinhua reported.
"The undersecretary insisted to meet with the Dalai Lama regardless of China's firm opposition, and make irresponsible remarks on the Tibet affairs, which is entirely China's internal affairs," she said.
China continues to accuse the Dalai Lama of masterminding the worldwide protests against Chinese rule in Tibet, which has been consistently denied by the Tibetan leader.
"No exculpation can conceal the irrefutable fact," the Chinese spokeswoman said. "The undersecretary didn't condemn the crimes of the rioters, but absolved them of responsibility and takes the Chinese government and the people as targets. What does she want to achieve?"
