Agence France-Presse,
Beijing: China expressed anger Thursday over a resolution passed by the US Congress that condemned Beijing's handling of the Tibet issue, saying that its policy in the region was supported by Tibetans.
In a statement issued late Thursday, the National Peoples' Congress (NPC) Foreign Affairs Committee called the US resolution “a gross interference in China's domestic affairs,” state news agency Xinhua reported.
The US Congress nearly unanimously passed the resolution Wednesday that urged China to “cease its repression of the Tibetan people, and to lift immediately the harsh policies imposed on Tibetans.”
The resolution came amid a Chinese security crackdown in the Himalayan region during the 50 year anniversary of a failed uprising in Tibet that forced the Dalai Lama into exile.
According to Xinhua, the NPC said that the US resolution “distorts the facts of Tibet's democratic reform and glorifies the Dalai Lama, slandering the religious policy of the Chinese government.”
In the statement, the NPC said that “all sorts of rights enjoyed by the Tibetan people have been ensured by the Chinese laws,” according to Xinhua.
“China's Tibet policy won heartfelt support from people of all nationalities, including the Tibetan ethnic group,” said the statement.
“Facts demonstrate that our disputes with the Dalai Lama's supporters is neither the nationals issue, nor religious issue, or human rights, or autonomy for Tibet, but a principled campaign concerning unification or separation, moving forward or backward,” it said.
“Tibet is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory and Tibetan affairs are purely China's domestic affairs,” the report said.
Earlier, foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in comments to journalists that the US resolution “disregards the facts (and) makes groundless accusations against China's ethnic and religious policy.”
The House of Representatives voted 422 to 1 to approve the resolution. Nine House members did not vote.
The resolution, which does not threaten action if Beijing fails to comply, came amid heightened tensions between China and the United States after navy vessels from the two countries clashed in the South China Sea.
In a bid to ease the simmering spat, Obama invited visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to the White House on Thursday — ignoring protocol, which normally sees diplomatic meetings take place between representatives of similar rank.
