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US President George W. Bush's special envoy will hold talks with the Dalai Lama next week in the highest level meeting between the US administration and the exiled leader since Beijing's crackdown in Tibet, officials said Monday.The move was criticized by China, which suggested that Washington was meddling in the internal affairs of the country.US Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky, Bush's special envoy for Tibet, "is going to be meeting with the Dalai Lama in Michigan on April 21st," State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters.He said officials from both sides were laying the groundwork for the talks in which Washington would raise the current Tibetan crisis and highlight its call for dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Chinese authorities."They're going to be talking about our view that the Chinese authorities ought to engage in a discussion with the Dalai Lama. We'll be interested in hearing his views on the situation there," Casey said.The US envoy in New Delhi had earlier met the Dalai Lama following the mid-March crackdown, pro-Tibetan groups said.The Dalai Lama, who has been living in exile in India since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising in 1959, arrived last Thursday in Seattle on his first foreign trip since Beijing's crackdown that raised an international uproar.Casey also referred to reported contacts between the Dalai Lama's envoys and Chinese officials following the latest disturbances, saying, "I'm sure we'll be interested in hearing about that and any other thoughts and ideas he might have about the situation there."
The Chinese government reacted angrily on learning about the US administration's meeting with the Dalai Lama."We believe that the Tibetan affairs are internal affairs of China, and (are) strongly opposed to external interference in this respect," Wang Baodong, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, told ."We always demand that the US administration and US officials adhere to their commitment to recognizing Tibet as part of China, not supporting Tibetan independence and refrain from holding any contact with the Dalai Lama and his clique," he said.
On reported contacts recently between the Dalai Lama's representatives and Beijing, Wang said: "Up to now, I am not aware of any related development."The Chinese central government's position on its contacts and dialogue with the Dalai's side is consistent and clear," he said, also referring to Chinese President Hu Jintao's weekend statement on the Tibetan turmoil.Hu had said that the unrest in Tibet was aimed purely at "splitting the motherland" and that Beijing's handling of the upheaval was its internal affair.Casey said that Dobriansky had held 11 meetings so far with the Dalai Lama.
"It's always, of course, a great honor for us to have the opportunity to host him here and talk to him about the situation," he said. "He's a revered religious leader, as well as someone who carries a great deal of moral authority among Tibetan officials."Beijing has for years held low profile talks with envoys of the Dalai Lama on questions related to Tibet but the dialogue was suspended since the summer of last year without any breakthrough.
Tibet last month saw the biggest protests in years against China's controversial rule, with Tibetan exiles claiming Beijing's crackdown has left more than 150 Tibetans dead.
Beijing instead says Tibetan "rioters" have killed 20 people and accused the Dalai Lama of instigating the deadly violence.The Dalai Lama has repeatedly said he was only pursuing "meaningful" Tibetan autonomy and cultural freedoms within China -- and that he supports the right of Beijing to host this year's Olympics.China's clampdown has triggered international outrage, with major protests during the Beijing Olympic torch relay in London, Paris and San Francisco.