Dharamshala, 1^st August: China expressed its displeasure of the meeting between the US Secretary of State and a senior representative of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, which took place in Delhi on Thursday, July 29. China claimed that the meeting breached the US promise to consider Tibet as part of China.

I was pleased to meet civil society leaders today. The U.S. and India share a commitment to democratic values; this is part of the bedrock of our relationship and reflective of India’s pluralistic society and history of harmony. Civil society helps advance these values. pic.twitter.com/5NL2WiQ13o

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 28, 2021

“We urge the US to honor its commitment to stop meddling in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of Tibetan affairs and offer no support to Tibet independence forces to engage in anti-China separatist activities. China will take all necessary measures to defend its own interests,” According to the news agency PTI, a Chinese spokeswoman stated.

On Wednesday, July 28, Blinken met with Ngodup Dongchung, a representative of the Tibetan government-in-exile, in what could be interpreted as a sign of the Biden administration’s support for the Tibetan cause. Dongchung commended Blinken for the US’s sustained support for the Tibetan struggle during the meeting.

The encounter between a senior US official and a Tibetan delegate is significant because it acknowledges the Dalai Lama’s longstanding commitment to universal peace and dialogue. Blinken also led a conference of seven civil society leaders in Delhi on the same day, which included another Tibetan representative, Geshe Dorjee Damdul.

“Tibetan affairs are purely China’s internal affairs that allow no foreign interference,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhao Lijian said, referring to the meeting between Blinken and Tibetan leaders. He went on to say that China opposes any sort of contact between Western authorities and the Dalai Lama, claiming that the Tibetan leader was a divisive person involved in separatist movements. PTI reported the spokesperson as stating, “Any formal contact between the US and the Dalai clique is a violation of the US commitment to acknowledge Tibet as part of China.”

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