China says unity at stake over Tibet

China's conflict with the Dalai Lama was purely a question of national unity and nothing to do with ethnicity, religion or human rights, Chinese President Hu Jintao said yesterday.

He spoke after China again bared its teeth against foreign critics, denouncing the European Parliament's call to boycott the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics if Beijing does not start talks with the Dalai Lama about Tibet.

Hu's comments, reported by the Xinhua news agency, were among the clearest yet from the top echelon of China's leadership framing the Tibet troubles as an existential threat to the country.

"Our conflict with the Dalai clique is not an ethnic problem, not a religious problem, nor a human rights problem," Hu said. "It is a problem of either preserving national unity or splitting the motherland."

Chinese officials have warned that groups campaigning for independence in Tibet have joined Muslim Uighurs fighting for an independent 'East Turkestan' in the northwest region of Xinjiang.

Hu, who made his comments in a meeting with visiting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, also reiterated China's position that it was open to talks with the Dalai Lama, but that Tibet's exiled spiritual leader was blocking the way. Hu said China was ready to meet the Dalai Lama provided he desist from trying to "split the motherland", "incite violence" and "ruin the Beijing Olympics".

The Dalai Lama has rejected claims he orchestrated deadly rioting in Tibet's regional capital Lhasa on March 14 and subsequent protests across Tibetan areas.

Asked on Friday night on US television station NBC whether he wanted the world to boycott the Olympics this summer, the Dalai Lama, now on a visit to the United States, replied, "No." He said his message to China was: "We are not against you. And I'm not seeking separation.'"

The denunciation of the European Parliament's boycott call was China's latest unyielding response to foreign criticism after the Tibetan unrest. It used language very similar to Beijing's condemnation a day earlier of a resolution by US lawmakers that urged an end to a crackdown in Tibet.

The Parliament, in a non-binding resolution adopted by an overwhelming majority this week, called on European Union leaders to consider 'the option of non-attendance' of the opening ceremonies of the Games.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the European parliamentarians had "rudely interfered in China's internal affairs", "seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people" and "confounded black and white", Xinhua reported.

"The European Parliament turned a blind eye to facts. It did not condemn the Dalai clique who masterminded and organised the violent crimes," she said. Against this background of growing friction, President Hu used his address at the Boao Forum to deliver a message of reassurance to world politicians and business leaders at the annual meeting on the southern Chinese island of Hainan.

"Reform and opening-up are what have made China's fast development possible in the last 30 years, and they also hold the key to China's future development," he said.

China could breathe a sigh of relief that the latest leg of the Olympic torch relay, riddled by protests in Europe, sailed smoothly through Buenos Aires under heavy guard on Friday, dodging nothing more serious than a few tossed water balloons.