Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sun Yuxi urged the European Parliament (EP) to stop interfering in China's internal affairs and damaging Sino-European relations.
Sun made the statement in Beijing Thursday at a routine press conference in response to a question.
Sun stated that the Dalai Lama delivered a speech on October 24 at the EP distorting Tibet's history and the true condition of the area, and maliciously attacking the Chinese government with a separatist's perspective in an attempt to internationalize the Tibet issue.
"We are firmly opposed to it," Sun pointed out.
Sun noted that in the 50 years since Tibet was peacefully liberated, especially after the inauguration of democratic reform and the abolishment of the serf system in Tibet in 1959, drastic changes have taken place in Tibet, and Tibetans have fully enjoyed all political and economy rights and religious freedom guaranteed by China's constitution.
Tibet also enjoys extensive autonomous rights in such fields as legislation, use of Tibetan language, personnel management and natural resources management, Sun added.
He went on to say that up to now, 92 percent of the autonomous region's 2.6 million population is Tibetan, and nearly 80 percent of local officials are Tibetan or other ethnic minorities.
With the assistance of China's central government and other provinces and municipalities nationwide, Sun noted, Tibet's economy has helped to greatly improve local people's lives -- a reality that is beyond comparison with the old Tibet under the Dalai's rule.
He stressed that Tibetan people are fully enjoying the freedom to conduct normal religious activities under the protection of China's constitution and laws.
He said there are over 1,400 places for religious activities, including temples, which can meet the religious needs of local people.
Tibetan culture has also been put under protection in a campaign involving over 50 specialized research institutions and a staff of over 2,000 nationwide who are responsible for finding, collecting, and keeping records of Tibetan folk art, with a huge amount of documents and files already saved and published, and valuable relics being protected, according to Sun.
Meanwhile, education in Tibet has flourished with the number of various schools reaching 956 and an enrollment rate of 85.6 percent among school-age children, noted the spokesman.
Added to that, Tibetan and Chinese languages are taught in all primary and secondary schools in Tibet, he added.
He pointed out that the great achievements made in various fields in Tibet cannot be denied by any objective observer, and the Dalai's attempt to deceive the world will ultimately be futile.
Pointing to the fact that China's central government has had a number of talks with the Dalai's representatives, Sun stressed that facts have proved the Dalai is inconsistent, and his activities in the EP fully demonstrate once again that he does not truly want to negotiate with the central government.
On one hand, the Dalai vowed to hold talks with the central government, and on the other hand he created obstacles to prevent this from happening, noted Sun, saying that the Dalai should bear all responsibility for the suspension of dialog.
Sun emphasized that the Chinese government firmly opposes any country or organization to indulge and support the Dalai in his separatist activities.
China is deeply dissatisfied with the EP, which has, in disregard of China's repeated representations, insisted on inviting the Dalai and providing him with a venue to conduct separatist activities, pointed out the spokesman.
He went on that recently, the EP trampled on the Chinese people 's feelings several times in succession, which runs counter to the sound development momentum of Sino-European relations.
China wants the EP to stop interfering in China's internal affairs and doing anything to damage Sino-European relations, so that the sound development of the Sino-European overall partnership can continue.
(Xinhua News Agency October 25,2001)
