Six decades after suppressing an uprising in Tibet, Beijing praised its development efforts and slammed the Dalai Lama's exile government. The US and others say China has overseen widespread rights abuses in the region.
Image: REUTERS/T. Peter
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Chinese officials countered criticism over human rights concerns in Tibet on Wednesday, praising the efforts to modernize the region
Deputy Tibet governor Norbu Dondrup criticized the Dalai Lama and his exile government, saying that Tibetan society was "very cruel" before Communist Rule.
"The Dalai Lama attacking our human rights totally has ulterior motives. He tramples on human rights, and has no right, no qualifications, and is unworthy of talking about human rights," he said.
"As for some countries slamming our human rights, they either don't understand or believe the Dalai clique's rumors and bewitchments," Norbu Dondrup added.
Flight of the Dalai Lama to India
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60 years in exile
The Dalai Lama is 83-year-old the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, who Beijing views as a dangerous separatist. On March 31, 1959, he crossed the border into India following a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet.
Concerns are growing over who will succeed the Dalai Lama when he dies. China has said the Communist Party must approve his reincarnation — and future ones. Last week, Dalai Lama told Reuters news agency that any successor named by China would not be respected and that his incarnation could be found in India.
US says China blocked travel
On Monday, the US State Department released a report that said the Chinese government "systematically impeded travel" to Tibet for US diplomats and officials as well as journalists and tourists in 2018.
The Tibet issue has become one of many points of contention between Washington and Beijing. In December, US President Donald Trump signed off on a law that denies entry into the US to Chinese officials that are deemed responsible for restricting travel to Tibet.
The Dalai Lama: The great communicator
The Dalai Lama is currently in the German city of Frankfurt. For decades, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people has been relentlessly campaigning for the rights of the oppressed.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A tireless traveler
The Dalai Lama is a tireless traveler who maintains good relations with the international community. The spiritual leader does not have much power, but he uses his close ties to politicians, celebrities and leaders for the cause of Tibetan autonomy. But meeting with the Dalai Lama can be tricky for world leaders because of the likelihood of straining relations with China.
Image: Reuters
Beijing not amused
The Dalai Lama's reception in 2007, hosted by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, was much resented by the Chinese government and was even criticized by some German politicians. In May 2008, German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek –Zeul informally met the Dalai Lama outside his official residence shortly after the riots in Lhasa.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Cracking jokes
The Tibetan leader's sense of humor is as legendary as his laughter. Here, the Dalai Lama is seen conversing with the Archbishop of South Africa, Desmond Tutu, at a conference in Seattle in 2008.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
No fear of contact
During his years as premier of the German state of Hesse, conservative politician Roland Koch was notorious for his tough anti-immigration stance. But this did not hinder his close friendship with the Dalai Lama, whom he invited several times. In this 2009 picture, Koch greets the Dalai Lama near Frankfurt with traditional warmth.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Friend and teacher
Here, during a 2005 gala event at the Kurhaus Wiesbaden, the Dalai Lama accompanies his longest-standing friend Heinrich Harrer off the stage. The Austrian mountaineer got to know the Dalai Lama in Lhasa in 1946 after having escaped from a British internment camp in India. Harrer later became the Dalai Lama's teacher. He died in Carinthia, Austria, aged 94.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Sarkozy says "Non"
France's former "première dame" Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama met at the inauguration of a Buddhist temple in southern France. But much to the regret of human rights activists, then French President Nicolas Sarkozy didn't receive the Dalai Lama during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Deceptive closeness
China's attempt to involve the Dalai Lama in the "liberation" of Tibet failed. Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong is shown here in Beijing as the "protector" of the two highest Tibetan dignitaries, the Dalai (R) and the Panchen Lama. The picture was taken in 1956, three years before the Dalai Lama fled to India.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Diplomatic symbolism
At the beginning of 2014, US President Obama invited the Dalai Lama to a "private meeting" at the White House. Although the talks didn't take place in the Oval Office – which is usually used to host foreign dignitaries – it was the third meeting between the two men. Beijing warned that it would regard the meeting as a "gross interference in China's internal affairs."
