EU Parliament slammed for Tibet resolution

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-13 21:00

BEIJING -- The National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, on Friday expressed strong indignation and opposition to a European Parliament resolution on Tibet.

"We are strongly indignant with and opposed to the act that intervenes in China's internal affairs, damages China-Europe relations and hurts the Chinese people's feelings," the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee said in a statement.

Regardless of China's repeated stern representation, the European Parliament, stirred up by a few of its members, insisted on approving a resolution on Tibet, which distorts the facts and again encourages the Dalai Lama's separatist practice, in an attempt to internationalize the Tibet-related issues," said the statement.

Tibet is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory and Tibetan affairs are purely China's domestic affairs, the statement said, adding that any foreign government and organization does not have the right to intervene in China's internal affairs.

The Tibet Autonomous Region has achieved economic development, national unity and social harmony and people there have been living and working in peace since the democratic reforms 50 years ago, the statement said.

Over the past few years, the Chinese central government has carried out a number of contacts and dialogues with patience and sincerity with the Dalai Lama's representatives.

However, as the Dalai Lama has not stopped his separatist activities, no substantial progress was made through the dialogues.

Dalai Lama's Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People, under the veil of claiming autonomy, actually seeks political independence for Tibet and runs against China's Constitution. It will be inevitably opposed by all the Chinese people, the statement said.

The Dalai Lama claimed that rather than seeking for "Tibet independence ", he only asked for "high degree of autonomy" and "genuine autonomy" and insisted on "nonviolence".

However, Dalai Lama's so-called "genuine autonomy" aimed to restore his reign in Tibet that integrating religion and state, and establish a supposed "greater Tibet area" which covers nearly a quarter of China's territory. The so-called "greater Tibet area" does not exist in history, nor does it have an actual ground

The claim also asked the Chinese central government to withdraw armies and all the non-Tibetans from the "greater Tibet area". The essence of these claims is advocating "Tibet independence " or meant for "gradual or covert Tibet independence," the statement said.

The Dalai Lama claimed that he insisted on "nonviolence", but the violent riots in Lhasa staged by the Dalai Lama's followers on March 14 last year proved that they have never stopped violent activities.

The allegations of the Dalai Lama were only disguise for his separatist stance and violent criminal activities. They were also packaging to defraud the international society of sympathy and support, the statement said.

"Our disputes with the Dalai Lama is neither the ethnic issue, nor religious issue, or human rights, but a major principled issue concerning China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, " it said.

The Chinese central government's policy toward the Dalai Lama is consistent and clear cut, the statement said, adding the door is always open for contacts and talks with him.

The key for positive progresses of contacts and talks rest with whether the Dalai Lama would give up his wrong stance and separatist behaviors, reexamine his political opinions and make a right choice beneficial to the country, the people, the history and himself.

The statement also said, it is in line with the common interest of China and the Europe to enhance mutual beneficial cooperation on an equal footing.

"A handful European parliament members, who hold prejudice against China, have very readily and repeatedly proposed groundless resolutions on Tibet-related issues," it said.

These resolutions deliberately slandered against China's image, sent wrong signals to the Dalai Lama's supporters and boost arrogance of the pro-Tibet campaigners.

These European parliament members should be warned sternly to get a clear understanding of the situation and respect the facts. Any conspiracies to interfere in China's internal affairs are doomed to fail, it said.

The NPC values relations with the European parliament and requests the European parliament to proceed from the overall interest of China-EU relations, discard ideological prejudice, adopt a fair and objective stance and do more things that conducive to the healthy development of China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, said the statement.

Also on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu urged the European Parliament to confirm to the public opinions, immediately stop interfering in China's internal affairs using the Tibet-related issue and work with China to maintain the overall situation of China-EU relations.