David Cameron distances UK from Dalai Lama and Tibet to woo Beijing
Move seen as means to restore full business and diplomatic relations with China
The British prime minister, David Cameron, will distance the United Kingdom from the Dalai Lama during a trip to China this week as the price for restoring full business and diplomatic relations with Beijing. The changed stance is the result of an internal London debate that was won by finance minister George Osborne.
As the Free Tibet group called on the prime minister to raise the issue of human rights in Tibet, Downing Street sources said Britain has "turned a page" on the Dalai Lama and Cameron has no plans to meet him in the foreseeable future.
A No 10 Downing Street source said: "This visit is forward-looking. We have turned a page on that issue. It is about the future and how we want to shift UK-China relations up a gear."
The rather stark message came as the prime minister prepares to meet President Xi Jinping , and Premier Li Keqiang , who were installed in March, on a delayed visit to China.
The prime minister was forced to abandon a visit to China in April after Beijing indicated that the main Communist leadership were unlikely to be available.
The move was officially explained by the need for the new leadership to bed down a month after the transfer of power, but was widely seen as a snub.