China is seriously concerned about a possible visit by the Dalai Lama to the United States in September, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan Thursday.

Kong made the remark at the regular weekly Foreign Ministry press briefing in answer to a question about the possibility of the Dalai Lama visiting the US and meeting US President George W. Bush and other US leaders.

China has taken note of the relevant reports and expresses serious concern over this issue, Kong said, noting that the Dalai Lama is not a purely religious person, but also a political refugee who has engaged in China-splitting activities for a long time.

China has lodged representations with the US side on this matter, calling for the United States to adhere to its promise that it acknowledges Tibet as part of China and that the US does not support an "independent Tibet," Kong said.

China has also called on the US side not to allow the Dalai Lama to visit the United States or indulge in China-splitting activities, he said.

The spokesman also announced Prime Minister Apollo Robin Nsibambi of the Republic of Uganda will pay an official visit to China from Sept. 6 to Sept. 12, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
 
(Source: Xinhua News Agency, August 29, 2003)