Beijing lashed out yesterday at the Dalai Lama's call for dialogue to end the crisis in Tibet , saying it was his usual trick to mislead the public.
A harshly worded Xinhua editorial accused the Dalai Lama of staging a show to fool the international community. The spiritual leader said on Wednesday that he was willing to meet Chinese leaders, including President Hu Jintao , to solve any rift between his government-in-exile and Beijing.
'The carefully designed trick, disguised by hypocritical words, is not only fooling the kind people who are not aware of the truth but all the so-called human right activists in the west,' the editorial said. 'It attempted to leave the Chinese government bearing the pressure of being 'unwilling to hold negotiations with the Dalai Lama'.'
In the week after a peaceful demonstration turned violent in Lhasa and spread to neighbouring provinces, world leaders urged Beijing to show restraint and hold talks with the spiritual leader. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown even said he was willing to meet the Dalai Lama - a comment that 'seriously concerned' Beijing.
The editorial reiterated that 'the door for dialogue is always open' as long as the Dalai Lama gives up his push for Tibetan independence, stops activities to split China and accepts Beijing as the only legitimate government.
It also said the 'one country, two systems' approach proposed by 'the Dalai clique' would not be an option, as China's central governments had exercised continuous sovereignty over Tibet since ancient times.