Attempts by anti-China elements to harass and disrupt the Olympic torch relay scheduled for next Wednesday in San Francisco are doomed to failure, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong has said.
In an exclusive interview with Virginia-based Christian Broadcasting Network on Wednesday, Ambassador Zhou said the Chinese people are earnestly looking forward to the Beijing Olympic Games and making their best efforts with confidence to ensure the success of the event.
The Beijing Olympics is not only a great event for the 1.3 billion Chinese people but for the peoples around the world as well, Zhou said, adding that friends from all countries are welcomed to Beijing to watch the Games.
As part of the Olympic torch relay outside the Chinese mainland, the "Sacred Flame" will be relayed in San Francisco on April 9, which would be a great event between China and the United States, he said.
Any attempts by anti-China elements to harass and disrupt the Olympic torch relay are doomed to failure because they run against the spirit and principles of the Olympic movement and against the will of the Chinese and American peoples as well as peoples around the world, the ambassador noted.
Talking about the recent riots masterminded and incited by the Dalai Lama clique, in Lhasa, capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and some other regions of the country, Ambassador Zhou stressed that the Chinese government has dealt with the unrest in accordance with the law. The efforts are designed to maintain law and order and it has nothing to do with religious freedom and ethnicity, he added.
No responsible government in the world could tolerate such criminal acts as beating up innocent people, vandalizing public and private properties, looting and arson, Zhou said. Thanks to effective measures taken by the local government of the Tibet Autonomous Region, public order has largely been restored in Lhasa and other affected areas, he added.
The ambassador said that Tibet is an integral part of the Chinese territory and the Chinese government has been showing great patience in maintaining contacts with representatives of the Dalai Lama.
If the Dalai Lama genuinely gives up his pursuit of "Tibet independence," ceases all the splittist activities, especially the ongoing efforts to incite more criminal violence in Tibet and other regions in China and activities designed to undermine the Beijing Olympic Games, and in the meantime, recognizes that both Tibet and Taiwan are inalienable parts of the Chinese territory, the Chinese government will be ready to resume contacts and talks with his side, Zhou said.
During the interview with the U.S. television network, Ambassador Zhou also answered questions about Sino-U.S. relations and socioeconomic development in China.
(Xinhua News Agency April 6, 2008)