Australia's Gillard urged to ignore China, meet Dalai Lama

Jun 11, 2011, 4:54 GMT

Sydney - Prime Minister Julia Gillard was urged Saturday not to kowtow to China and set a date to meet exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama while he is in Australia.

'Australians will want the prime minister to meet the Dalai Lama at Parliament House,' Greens leader Bob Brown said, noting that US President Barack Obama had braved Beijing's ire and welcomed the Dalai Lama to the White House.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, Gillard's predecessor as Labor Party leader a year ago, avoided the Dalai Lama when he was prime minister, and Gillard looked set to do the same.

Brown has met with the monk, and opposition Liberal Party leader Tony Abbott has agreed to a meeting.

China, Australia's largest trading partner, regards the Dalai Lama as a renegade because he champions Tibetan autonomy and criticizes human rights abuses in China.

Australian Tibet Council spokesman Paul Bourke said China's diplomats had urged Australian politicians to snub the Dalai Lama.

'China makes a lot of comment about not interfering in other countries, not interfering in their internal issues, which includes human rights,' he said. 'But it seems, on occasions like this, they're quite happy to send the message that they would be unhappy with an Australian premier meeting with the Dalai Lama.'

The 75-year-old has spoken about the struggle for freedom in China and in the Arab world. He predicted Beijing's current crackdown on dissent would not succeed.

'This kind of attitude cannot remain for ever,' he said. 'People are more educated, more independent about the outside world. More and more people enjoy individual freedom.'

Read more about China

Read more about Tibet