UK calls for greater autonomy in Tibet
By Phurbu Thinley
Phayul
July 14, 2010
Dharamsala, July 14 — Britain’s visiting foreign secretary called Wednesday for greater autonomy and human rights in Tibet, media reports said.
Speaking on his first visit to China since becoming foreign secretary, William Hague, said the UK had “long-standing human rights concerns” in Tibet.
Mr Hague, on a trip to strengthen bilateral trade, made the remarks during a press conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing.
“We want to see long-term stability for Tibet, which in our view implies work on human rights and greater autonomy,” Hague said.
The Chinese counterpart, according to AP, said that their differences on the issue will not negatively affect ties.
“We believe that the common interests of the two countries far outweigh the differences between the two sides,” Mr Yang was quoted as saying.
Chinese state media, however, made no mention of any of the Tibet-related remarks made by Mr Hague. In a brief report Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency instead cited Hague as saying “Britain recognized that Tibet and Taiwan were inalienable parts of the Chinese territory.”
Despite the strong trade, the relationship between China and Britain has been troubled by commercial disputes, rows over climate change and China’s execution late last year of a British national convicted of drug trafficking, despite repeated requests to halt the sentence from London.
Mr Hague met Premier Wen Jiabao later Wednesday. He is scheduled to travel to Japan on Thursday, where he was expected to meet top officials including the prime minister and foreign minister, along with business leaders.
Britain’s newly elected Prime Minister, Mr David Cameron, in a recent message conveyed to the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile in response to a felicitation for his successful election victory, said his government will “continue to urge the Chinese to make progress towards meaningful autonomy for Tibet.”
“We will continue to impress upon the Chinese the importance of substantive dialogue with the Tibetan representatives in good faith. This is the only way to bring about a lasting and peaceful solution to the problems in Tibet.
The Government considers that underlying issues can only be resolved through meaningful dialogue between the Dalai Lama’s representatives and the Chinese authorities. Our interest is in long term stability, which can only achieved through respect for human rights and greater autonomy for the Tibetans,” Mr Cameron said.