US State Department Under Secretary Uzra Zeya, who serves as the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues in the Biden administration, held a meeting with the 14th Dalai Lama in Delhi on Sunday (9 July).

Zeya was accompanied by a high-level US delegation for the meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader.

China has strongly criticised the meeting, denouncing it as interference in its domestic affairs.

In a series of tweets on Monday (10 July), Wang Xiaojian, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Delhi, said that the affairs of Xizang (Tibet) are "purely internal affairs of China and no external forces have the right to interfere,".

"China firmly opposes any form of contact between foreign officials and the "Tibetan independence" forces," Xiaojian said.

Questioning the very concept of US "Special Coordinator for Tibet Issues", Xiaojian called it "pure offense and a move of political manipulation to interfere in China's internal affairs,".

"China has always been firmly opposed to this and has never recognized it," he added.

Xiaojian further said that the 14th Dalai Lama is "by no means just a religious figure, but rather a political exile who has long been engaging in anti-China separatist activities and attempting to split Xizang from China".

The Chinese spokesperson also said that "the so-called "Tibetan government-in-exile" is a blatant separatist political group and an illegal organization that flagrantly violates China's Constitution and laws.

The US special envoy had also met with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh during her visit to India in May 2022.

At that time also, the Chinese foreign ministry had criticized the meeting, stating that it was an interference in China's internal affairs.

China has consistently expressed reservations about high-ranking US officials engaging with the Dalai Lama, whom they consider a secessionist leader.

However, the Dalai Lama, a Nobel laureate, has consistently stated that he seeks autonomy for Tibet rather than independence from China.

During a conversation with reporters in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh on Saturday (8 July), the Dalai Lama clarified that they are "not seeking independence" and "have decided since many years that we remain the part of People's Republic of China".

“China is changing and has now realised that the Tibetan people are very strong and in order to deal with the Tibetan problem, they want to have contact with me and I am also ready," the Dalai Lama said, reports News18.

The US has been supportive of the Tibetan people's aspirations for religious freedom, cultural preservation, and autonomy.

However, China considers Tibet to be an integral part of its territory and has criticised foreign nations' involvement in Tibetan affairs.

"The US should take concrete actions to honour its commitment of acknowledging Xizang as part of China, stop meddling in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of Xizang-related issues, and offer no support to the anti-China separatist activities of the Dalai clique," Xiaojian said.

Uzra Zeya

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