Some Chinese experts and scholars, interviewed by Xinhua, have criticized Canada's Parliament for its recent move to honor the 14th Dalai Lama as an "Honorary Citizen" of Canada.

 

The move will hurt bilateral relationships between the two countries, they said.

 

"I feel regretful for what the Canadian Parliament has done for the Dalai Lama," said Ngawang Cering, a researcher with the Academy of Social Sciences of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

 

Such a decision by the Canadian Parliament was made in defiance of the enormous changes that have taken place in today's Tibet, said the Tibetan researcher.

 

The scholar said that the Dalai Lama cannot represent people of different ethnic groups in Tibet and neither can he be regarded as the representational figure and guardian for the traditional culture of Tibet.

 

"The decision will also impede the contact between the Dalai Lama and the central government," he said.

 

"As a Tibetan, I don't expect the Dalai Lama to become a tool employed by some foreign politicians to oppose and split China," Ngawang Cering said.

 

Professor Ren Xiao, of Fudan University, in Shanghai, said the Canadian Parliament's decision will be detrimental to mutual trust and mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation between the two countries.

 

The Canadian Parliament granted the honor to the Dalai Lama despite his unceasing separatism activities, which does no good for Canadians and the international community to recognize the nature of the "Tibet Issue" in an objective way, said the professor of international studies.

 

Ren called on all nations that are friendly to China to show more respect to China and give China more opportunities to express its views.

 

"They should have a greater awareness of Tibet's history and realities, rather than forming their own views on the basis of stereotypical first impressions," Ren said.

 

Professor Hu Yan, of the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said he was surprised to learn that the Canadian Parliament has decided to grant the honor to the Dalai Lama, a political refugee who is neither faithful to his own motherland, nor faithful to the Buddhist commandments, and has long been engaged in separatist activities.

 

Obviously, the move will hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and finally, it goes against the national interests of Canada, Hu said.

 

Doctor Zhaluo, with the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, called the move of the Canadian Parliament an act that goes against a consensus between the leaders of the two countries on the establishment of the Sino-Canadian strategic partnership.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2006)