Chinese groups protest Dalai honor

More than 30 Chinese organizations in France have sent letters of protest to the mayor of Paris, criticizing his plan to honor the Dalai Lama, said Chen Shengwu, chairman of the Chinese Immigrants and Expatriates Association in France.

"We strongly protest against the Paris mayor's meeting with the Dalai Lama, a move likely to derail Sino-French ties again," Chen said, adding that the rekindled relationship was "hard-won" after it was damaged following a meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama last December.

On May 20, Premier Wen Jiabao attended the 11th Sino-EU Summit in Prague, the Czech Republic, which symbolized a return to warmer relations between the two countries.