Some Chinese experts and scholars, interviewed by Xinhua, have
criticized Canada's Parliament for its recent move to honor the
14th Dalai Lama as an "Honorary Citizen" of Canada.
The move will hurt bilateral relationships between the two
countries, they said.
"I feel regretful for what the Canadian Parliament has done for
the Dalai Lama," said Ngawang Cering, a researcher with the Academy
of Social Sciences of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Such a decision by the Canadian Parliament was made in defiance
of the enormous changes that have taken place in today's Tibet,
said the Tibetan researcher.
The scholar said that the Dalai Lama cannot represent people of
different ethnic groups in Tibet and neither can he be regarded as
the representational figure and guardian for the traditional
culture of Tibet.
"The decision will also impede the contact between the Dalai
Lama and the central government," he said.
"As a Tibetan, I don't expect the Dalai Lama to become a tool
employed by some foreign politicians to oppose and split China,"
Ngawang Cering said.
Professor Ren Xiao, of Fudan University, in Shanghai, said the
Canadian Parliament's decision will be detrimental to mutual trust
and mutually beneficial and friendly cooperation between the two
countries.
The Canadian Parliament granted the honor to the Dalai Lama
despite his unceasing separatism activities, which does no good for
Canadians and the international community to recognize the nature
of the "Tibet Issue" in an objective way, said the professor of
international studies.
Ren called on all nations that are friendly to China to show
more respect to China and give China more opportunities to express
its views.
"They should have a greater awareness of Tibet's history and
realities, rather than forming their own views on the basis of
stereotypical first impressions," Ren said.
Professor Hu Yan, of the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central
Committee, said he was surprised to learn that the Canadian
Parliament has decided to grant the honor to the Dalai Lama, a
political refugee who is neither faithful to his own motherland,
nor faithful to the Buddhist commandments, and has long been
engaged in separatist activities.
Obviously, the move will hurt the feelings of the Chinese people
and finally, it goes against the national interests of Canada, Hu
said.
Doctor Zhaluo, with the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology
under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, called the move of
the Canadian Parliament an act that goes against a consensus
between the leaders of the two countries on the establishment of
the Sino-Canadian strategic partnership.
(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2006)