China targets Japan for 'supporting' Dalai Lama

A day after attacking the Dalai Lama for backing Japan in its maritime territorial dispute, China on Tuesday lashed out at Tokyo for its 'laissez-faire' attitude on the "separatist activities" of the Tibetan spiritual leader along with Japanese right-wing forces to harm bilateral strategic ties.

A foreign ministry spokesman said that China has lodged solemn representations to Japan over anti-China separatist activities recently conducted by the Dalai Lama in Japan.

"We firmly oppose the provision of support by any country or any person for the Dalai Lama's anti-China separatist activities," spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily news briefing in reference to a speech the Dalai Lama delivered before members of the Japanese parliament at the upper house members' office building in Tokyo.

Hong said the Japanese right-wing forces' blatant support for the Dalai Lama's anti-China separatist activities constitutes an infringement upon China's internal affairs, adding that China condemns their action.

"The Dalai Lama is a political exile who has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion," Hong said, reiterating that Tibet is an inalienable part of Chinese territory.

"The Japanese government's laissez-faire attitude toward the activities of the Dalai Lama and right-wing forces deviates from the principle and spirit of Sino-Japanese strategic relations," Hong said.

On Monday, China had criticised the 77-year-old for backing Japan's claim over the Diaoyu island in the East China Sea.

"The Dalai Lama's gummy performance once again shows his true colours of betraying his motherland and engaging in activities to split China under the guise of religion," Hong had said.

He made the comments in response to a question about the Dalai Lama referring to the islands called by Chinese as Diaoyu and Senkaku by Japanese at a recent press conference in the Japanese city of Yokohama.

"In order to achieve his goal of splitting China, the Dalai Lama would rather collude with Japanese right-wing forces. His behaviour is despised by the Chinese people," Hong said.

He reiterated that China strongly opposes any country or individual providing platforms, in any form, for the Dalai Lama's separatist activities.

China views the Dalai Lama as a separatist, who is working with Western forces to split Tibet from rest of the country.

Beijing also blames him for a series of self-immolations by Tibetans who are protesting Chinese rule in their Himalayan homeland.