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Press Conference on Central Govt's Contacts with Dalai Lama (Text)

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Reporter from Wen Wei Po of Hong Hong: My question is for Vice Minister Sitar. The central governmentof China has held some rounds of talks with the representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama, and the 14th Dalai Lama side has made some promises. In your opinion, will they keep their promises?

Sitar: In November 2008, when Vice Minister Du Qinglin met with the private representative of the 14th Dalai Lama, he made it very clear: We stick to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, stick to the system of socialism, stick to that the regional autonomy system, which is stipulated by China's Constitution. This is the political fact in Tibet. Any attempt aiming to deny those "three sticks" will be totally unacceptable. The 14th Dalai Lama side once said that they would accept these "three sticks", but we found that their deeds did not match their words.

Sitar: Here are simple examples. The 14th Dalai Lama said on May 5 last year in New York: The CPC has been in power for 60 years, and it is time for it to retire. On August 2, when the 14th Dalai Lama received an interview by a foreign journalist, he again said: The CPC has been in rule for 60 years and this is the year one needs to retire. So, can you call that he is respecting the CPC leadership when he made such remarks? Another example is that, in March last year, when people of various ethnic groups in Tibet were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the emancipation of the 1 million serfs and slaves, the 14th Dalai Lama side organized people to attack more than 30 Chinese diplomatic missions in foreign countries. Moreover, October 1 last year marked the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, which was a grand occasion for all Chinese people, but the 14th Dalai Lama side instructed some Tibet secessionists to launch protests, attack and make trouble in front of our Chinese embassies and consulates in foreign countries. In 2009 alone, the Dalai clique amassed some 10,000 people to make troubles at more than 40 Chinese embassies and consulates in foreign countries.

After the July 9 riots in Urumqi of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the 14th Dalai Lama issued a statement on July 9 saying that he "is really sad by what happened in East Turkistan." Everyone knows "East Turkistan" has never existed in history. It is something actually produced by the separatists. So by using such a title, the 14th Dalai Lama has his own intention which is obvious to all.

On September 11, the 14th Dalai Lama and Rebiya Kadeer attended a so-called international seminar in the Czech Republic, and had a private meeting with the Uygur separatist leader. After that, the 14th Dalai Lama held a news conference during which he expressed his support for Rebiya Kadeer. From these we see although the 14th Dalai Lama said he respects the "three sticks", what he in fact shows that he has never stopped working to overthrow the people's democratic government under the leadership of the CPC, split socialist China, and deny the regional autonomy system.

We have also noticed that in their separatist activities, the Dalai clique claims themselves to be "representative of the Tibetan people" and work under the cloak of working for the "genuine autonomy of Tibet". During the talks with the private representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama, Nyima Tsering, Vice Chairman of the People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region, I made it very clear to them that they are not representing the interests of the Tibetan people, but the benefits of the former serf-owners in old Tibet who had long been overthrown by the Tibetans, and what they seek is not the genuine autonomy for all Tibetan people, but to restore the dictatorship featuring temporal and religious administration in old Tibet, and to deprive the Tibetans of their hard-earned democratic right.

I notice there are many foreign reporters present on the occasion. We expect you will pass what Nyima Tsering and I have said just now to others, so that more people can know our view.

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