COLOMBO (News 1st) - China has expressed opposition over the invitation extended to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people.
Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka Hu Wei recently called on the Mahanayake Thero of the Malwathu chapter of Siam Nikaya, Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Theroand stated that the government and people of China including in the Tibet Autonomous Region strongly oppose any foreign country to receive the Dalai Lama in any name.
A statement from the Chinese Embassy on twitter noted that this is because the 14th Dalai Lama is absolutely not a "simple monk" as he self-claimed, but the head of the feudal serfdom and the theocracy in Tibet prior to 1951, a political exile disguised as a religious figure who has long been engaging in anti-China separatist activities and attempting to split Tibet from China.
Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka Hu Wei has emphasized that China and Sri Lanka have been firmly supporting each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, including the Tibet related issue.
He had noted that both sides especially the Buddhist communities must prevent a sneaky visit of the Dalai Lama to the island to promote "Tibetan independence" and safeguard the China-Sri Lanka historical relations from being damaged.
Sri Lankan Buddhist monks recently invited exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to make his first visit to the island