China protests Dalai Lama visit to Israel
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-02-15 20:16

China has lodged an official protest against a visit to Israel beginning by Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, diplomatic sources said.

China has lodged an official protest against a visit to Israel beginning by Tibet's exiled spiritual leader. [AFP]

"This visit, even though it is supposed to be private, will certainly not contribute to good relations between China and Israel, and it would have been better to cancel it," Israeli public radio quoted Lu Jing, the head of the political research department at the Chinese embassy in Tel Aviv, as saying on Wednesday.

He said China had lodged an official protest with the Israeli foreign ministry against the visit by the Dalai Lama, who is accused of trying to lead the Tibetan province to secede from China.

The Israeli foreign ministry declined to comment on the Buddhist spiritual leader's visit, which was organized by a group called "Israeli Friends of the Tibetan People" and Ben Gurion University in Negev, southern Israel.

Beijing regards him as the face of Tibetan separatism and a traitor.