Czech President Petr Pavel’s meeting with the Dalai Lama was warmly received internationally but angered Beijing, prompting China to suspend all ties with the Czech presidency.
Czech President Petr Pavel met the Tibetan spiritual leader on July 27 during a private trip to India to congratulate him on his 90th birthday. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in Dharamshala, India, since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, quoted by the Chinese Embassy in Prague, stated that the meeting “seriously contravenes the political commitment made by the Czech government to the Chinese government, and harms China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The statement added, “China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this, and has lodged serious protests with the Czech side. In light of the severity of Pavel’s provocative action, China has decided to cease all engagement with him.”
China considers the Dalai Lama a separatist. In exile, he has preserved Tibetan culture and identity, becoming a globally recognized figure leading the Tibetan diaspora’s struggle for autonomy and resistance to Chinese control over Tibet. Late Czech President Václav Havel was also known for his friendship with the Dalai Lama.
Pavel Fischer, Senator of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security, voiced his support for President Pavel, saying, “I believe a regime that interferes in religious matters—the Dalai Lama is a religious leader—seeks to erase the use of the Tibetan language in the Autonomous Region of Tibet, destroys cultural heritage and natural wealth there, is a regime we must be cautious about. Thank you, President Pavel.”
Senior Uyghur activist and founder president of the Ilham Tohti Initiative, Enver Can also praised the meeting, highlighting China’s broader record of repression: “The Chinese Communist Party has been destroying diverse cultures including Tibetan and Uyghur, falsifying history, and committing crimes against humanity against its own citizens. President Petr Pavel’s meeting with the Dalai Lama was exemplary and inspiring.”
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