China rejects US Senate resolution on Tibet

BEIJING: China today rejected a US Senate resolution calling for easing restrictions in Tibet after a wave of self-immolations by Tibetans, calling it an interference in the country's internal affairs.

"The Chinese government is committed to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of all ethnic groups and the protection of citizens' religious freedom," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a media briefing here today.

"Some US legislatures are confounding right and wrong, black and white, in an attempt to use Tibet-related issues to interfere in China's internal affairs", he said.

"China is firmly against that. We urge these Congressmen to recognise fact, discard prejudice, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs in any means. They should make more contributions to China-US relations, instead of the contrary," he said.

The US resolution which mourned those dead in the recent self immolation protests in Tibet, deplore "the repressive policies targeting Tibetans" and urged China to release all "arbitrarily detained" people.