China on Thursday reacted to a meeting between the Dalai Lama and Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian by warning that any attempts to divide China were doomed to failure.
"Both Taiwan and Tibet are inseparable parts of China," foreign ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said at the ministry's regular press briefing. "We will never allow any attempts ... to separate the motherland."
Sun was speaking a few hours after the Dalai Lama met Chen in Taipei's presidential office and was applauded by the Taiwanese leader for his pursuit of democracy in Tibet and thanked for his unwavering support for the island.
"The Dalai Lama in the past 50 years has worked hard and endured hardships in seeking democracy in Tibet. The situation is extremely difficult during his exile in India," Chen said, in a statement from the presidential office – BEIJING (AFP)
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