China concerned over Dalai Lama's UK visit

China’s foreign ministry says it is concerned about a planned meeting between prime minister Gordon Brown and the Dalai Lama.

Ministry spokesman Qin Gang repeated Beijing’s claim that Tibet’s exiled Buddhist leader is a “political refugee engaged in activities of splitting China under the camouflage of religion,” in remarks issued late last night by the official Xinhua News Agency.

Mr Qin also renewed accusations that figures associated with the Dalai Lama organised a deadly riot in Lhasa last week.

Tibet’s exiled Buddhist leader is scheduled to visit London in May and will also meet with the Prince of Wales.

China’s communist ally North Korea meanwhile, is criticising the recent protests in Tibet as an attempt to disrupt the Beijing Olympics.

The North’s foreign ministry said today that it “strongly denounces the unsavoury elements” seeking Tibetan independence. The North, which relies on China for food and energy aid, added that it supports the Chinese government’s efforts to maintain stability and rule of law.

Chinese state media said for the first time today that anti-government riots that rocked Tibet last week have spread to other provinces as the communist authorities announced the first group of arrests for the violence.

The announcements came as the government sent armed police into far-flung towns and villages to reassert control as sporadic demonstrations continued to flare up, and barred any foreigners from travelling there or journalists from reporting.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported today on riots in Tibetan-inhabited areas in the provinces of Sichuan and Gansu, both neighbouring Tibet. It blamed the protests on supporters of the Dalai Lama.

Xinhua said the protests attacked “shops and government offices” on Sunday in Aba country in north-western Sichuan. It said there were similar protests in five areas of southern Gansu province.

The Xinhua report confirms previous claims by exile Tibet activist groups that the protests had spread. Foreign journalists have been banned from going to Tibet and have found it increasingly difficult to travel to areas in other provinces with Tibetan populations.

The Tibet Daily reported that 24 people had been arrested for endangering state security, and for other “grave crimes” for their roles in last Friday’s riots in Lhasa.

“This incident has severely disrupted the social order, harmed people’s life and property, and these illegal acts organised, pre-planned, and well-designed by the Dalai clique,” Lhasa deputy chief prosecutor Xie Yanjun was quoted as saying.