Dharamsala, Dec 16 – China said Tuesday it was still open to dialogue with representatives of exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, reported AFP. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged China Friday to continue the negotiations on the future of Tibet with representatives of the Dalai Lama.
“The Chinese government… always expresses sincerity towards the contacts and negotiations, and the door to talks with the Dalai side is always open,” the foreign ministry said in a statement faxed to AFP.
“The key is whether the Dalai Lama examines and corrects his political stance, abandons his wrongful position on ‘Tibetan independence’ and genuinely matches his words with actions.”
China insisted that making progress in the negotiations was up to the Dalai Lama.
The two sides have held eight rounds of talks since September 2002 without much success.
China blamed the Tibetan side for failure of talks and insisted it would not compromise on the status of the Himalayan region.
The Dalai Lama said recently China lacks sincerity in the talks. The 73 year old Tibetan leader said his trust in the Chinese government is thinning but his faith in the Chinese people remains unshaken.
China claims the Tibetan leader is seeking independence for Tibet. But the Dalai Lama says the whole world except China know he is not seeking complete independence. The recently concluded special meeting of the Tibetans reiterated support for the incumbent government policy of ‘Middle way approach’ of seeking genuine autonomy within the framework of the People’s Republic of China.
