China-German
relations 'damaged' over Dalai Lama meeting
By China correspondent Stephen McDonell
ABC Online, Australia
September 25, 2007
China says its relations with Germany have been seriously undermined by a historic meeting between the German Chancellor and the Dalai Lama.
The Chinese Government had warned German Chancellor Angela Merkel not to meet the Dalai Lama.
But on Sunday, the German leader defied these warnings and became the first German Chancellor to meet the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
Chinese Government Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu says ties between the two countries have been damaged.
"This not only grossly interferes with the internal affairs of China, it hurts the feelings of the Chinese people," she said.
The Chinese Government has also called on the Government in Berlin to fix the problem.
But in an apparent
response, China has already cancelled tow top-level meetings between Chinese
and German officials.