Delegates attend a Tibet delegation group meeting at the Great Hall of the People during the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing recently.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Beijing: China on Monday sought to refute the Dalai Lama's allegations that Beijing might make efforts to erase the Tibetan civilisation, saying that Tibet enjoys prosperity and development.
"The 14th Dalai Lama is not a pure religious figure, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here reacting to the Dalai Lama’s comments before releasing his new book 'Voice for the Voiceless'.
On the Tibet-related issues, China's position is consistent and clear, Mao said.
"No matter what the Dalai Lama says or does, he will not change the objective fact that Xizang enjoys prosperity and development. We hope relevant parties will not provide platforms for the comment about splitting China," she said.
According to the write-up posted on the website of the book's publisher HarperCollins, the book offers personal, spiritual, and historical reflections of the Dalai Lama, who turns 90 later this year.
In the book, he tells the full story of his struggle with China to save Tibet and its people for nearly 75 years, it said.