China has strongly criticised Czech President Petr Pavel over his recent meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in India — calling the encounter a violation of the “one-China” principle and urging Prague to correct its course.
The meeting, which took place on July 27, drew sharp rebuke from Beijing, with the Chinese embassy in the Czech Republic issuing a late-night statement on Sunday. In it, China expressed its “resolute opposition” to any official contact with what it called the “Dalai clique,” and demanded that the Czech Republic honour its political commitment to the one-China policy.
“China urges the Czech side to abide by its one-China political commitment, take immediate and effective measures to eliminate the bad influence,” the embassy stated, warning against sending “any wrong signals to ‘Tibetan independence’ separatist forces.”
Beijing views the Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed Tibetan uprising, as a separatist seeking to split Tibet from China — an accusation the Nobel laureate has consistently denied. Instead, the Dalai Lama has long advocated for greater autonomy and religious freedom for Tibetans within China.
India, which has hosted the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile for over six decades, is home to nearly 70,000 Tibetans. His continued presence in India is seen by foreign policy observers as a subtle strategic asset for New Delhi in its complex relationship with Beijing.
Pavel’s meeting with the Tibetan leader adds to a growing list of diplomatic flashpoints between China and European countries over issues related to Taiwan, Tibet, and Hong Kong. While the Czech Republic officially recognises the one-China policy, recent political gestures, including high-level meetings with Taiwanese officials, have strained ties with Beijing.
Neither the Czech president’s office nor Indian officials have publicly responded to the Chinese statement as of press time.
Melissa Enoch
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