China's Hu tells Dalai Lama to show "sincerity"

Above: A supporter of Tibet stands with a portrait of Dalai Lama during a demonstration in St.Petersburg May 3, 2008.

REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk
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Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday urged the Dalai Lama and his supporters to show "sincerity" and blamed them for unrest across Tibet and trying to wreck the Beijing Olympics.

Hu, speaking after a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, said that China's recent talks with representatives of Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, had been "conscientious and serious" and that the two sides had agreed to continue contacts.

But Hu also blamed the Dalai's supporters for recent unrest across Tibet, saying they were trying to wreck Beijing's showcase Olympic Games in August.

"We hope that the Dalai's side will use its actions to show its sincerity," Hu told a press conference in Tokyo, urging the Dalai Lama's side to stop the trouble-making and efforts to split Tibet from China.

The Dalai Lama has said he wants autonomy, not full independence, for Tibet, supports the Beijing Games and rejects violence. China says he is not sincere.

"We hope that the Dalai's side will use actions to show its sincerity, and truly stop activities to split the motherland, stop planning and instigating violent activities, and stop activities to wreck the Beijing Olympic Games, creating conditions for the next discussions," Hu said. "We hope that the contacts will achieve positive results."

Earlier on Wednesday, a Chinese state newspaper said the Dalai Lama was trying to blacken its name by internationalizing the Tibet problem.

Japan's Fukuda told the same news conference he appreciated China's decision to hold talks with Tibet, and called for the dialogue to continue.

"I rate highly the president's decision to have a dialogue and the fact that talks were held," Fukuda said.

"I have high expectations that the dialogue will be held patiently and through that, for the situation to improve and the international community's concerns to be dispelled," he added.

Last month Fukuda told China's visiting foreign minister Yang Jiechi that he must face the fact that Tibet had become an international problem, contradicting the oft-stated Chinese view that it is a domestic dispute.


Source: Reuters