This follows a meeting in Dharamsala between a congressional delegation and the Tibetan spiritual leader.

China on Wednesday urged the United States to isolate the Dalai Lama following a meeting in Dharamsala between a congressional delegation and the Tibetan spirtual leader.



“We urge the relevant Congressmen of the U.S. to properly deal with the Tibetan related issues and stop all kinds of contacts with the Dalai Lama and take immediate measures to remove the negative impact,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said.



On Tuesday, the delegation led by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi visited the Dalai Lama at his headquarters in India.



The meeting took place amid signs that warming ties between Washington and Beijing, following a meeting last month between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, could cool Washington’s enthusiasm to engage with the Dalai Lama.



In a strongly worded statement, Mr.Geng said that the meeting in Dharamsala “has sent a very wrong signal to the outside world about supporting Tibetan independence and violated the U.S. government’s commitment to not support Tibet’s independence. We are firmly opposed to that and has lodged solemn representation with the American side.”

Mr. Geng stressed that the 14th Dalai Lama is a political exile. “who has long been engaged in anti-China separatist activities in foreign countries under the pretext of religion.” He described the Dalai Lama as the head of the “Tibetan independence group”.



Earlier, a Reuters report quoted Lobsang Sangay, head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, as saying that a visit of the Dalai Lama to the U.S. was being planned but Washington would not be part of the itinerary.