China slams European parliament's "arrogant interference" on Tibet

Apr 12, 2008, 9:57 GMT

Beijing - China on Saturday accused the European Parliament of 'arrogant interference' by making a resolution calling for China to hold dialogue with the exiled Dalai Lama and criticizing its 'brutal repression' of Tibetans.

The National People's Congress, the nominal parliament of China's ruling Communist Party, issued a statement via state media saying the European Parliament's 'unfounded accusation against China is an arrogant interference in China's domestic affairs and will damage Sino-Europe relations'

The European Parliament resolution adopted on Thursday also said leaders of the 27 EU member states should adopt a common position on whether to boycott the opening of the Beijing Olympics in August.

The Chinese statement said the European Parliament should 'respect the truth on the Tibet riots and never again do things that will hurt the emotions of the Chinese people and go against the spirit of the Olympics'.

It said China was 'strongly indignant and firmly opposed to the resolution' and said the parliament's 'groundless accusation' had 'violated the spirit enshrined in the Olympic Charter and politicized the Olympic Games'.

'We express our strong indignation and firm opposition to such resolutions and acts that rudely interfere with China's domestic affairs, undermine China-Europe relations, severely hurt the emotions of the Chinese people and inflate the secessionist forces seeking 'Tibet independence',' the official Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu issued a similar statement, the agency said.

The European Parliament resolution, carried by a large majority, condemned China's crackdown on widespread independence protests and riots in Tibetan areas last month.

It urged China to begin a dialogue with the Dalai Lama before the Olympics and called for a United Nations inquiry into the recent events in Tibetan areas.

During talks with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Saturday, Chinese President Hu Jintao rejected calls to hold talks with the Dalai Lama and accused the Tibetan leader of 'instigating violence' and 'sabotaging the Beijing Olympics'.

The European Parliament has no decisive influence on EU foreign policy. But the resolution was nevertheless seen as exerting strong pressure on EU governments to take a tougher line towards China.

The parliament's president, Germany's Hans-Gert Poettering, declared that MEPs wanted the Olympics to be successful, but that it was essential for this that China recognised Tibetans' cultural and religious identity, and guaranteed free and fair reporting before and during the Games.