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Tibet: Politics and Government

Volume 488: debated on Tuesday 3 March 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with his Chinese counterpart on the status of Tibet in the last 12 months. (259926)

Over the last 12 months, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed the status of Tibet with Foreign Minister Yang on a number of occasions. The issue was discussed during the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Beijing in February 2008 and again while they were in New York for the UN General Assembly in September 2008.

The status of Tibet was also discussed when the Foreign Secretary was in China for the Asia-Europe meeting in October 2008, and most recently when the Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Yang in London on 1 February 2009 at the UK-China summit. During these meetings, the Foreign Secretary emphasised that the current political difficulties in Tibet can best be resolved through dialogue between the Chinese Government and the representatives of the Dalai Lama.