China asks Dalai Lama to seek forgiveness

Beijing threw cold water on the possibility of re-launching talks with the Dalai Lama yesterday, saying greater autonomy for Tibet was "not up for discussion" and accusing the spiritual leader of backing "ethnic cleansing".

The statement comes months after the exiled spiritual leader expressed optimism that China President Xi Jinping may be open to re-starting dialogue regarding the region.

In its nearly 18,000-word white paper, the State Council Information Office, China's Cabinet, declared that the Dalai Lama must focus on seeking "forgiveness" from the Chinese government.

"Any negotiations will be limited to seeking solutions for the Dalai Lama to completely abandon separatist claims and activities and gain the forgiveness of the central government and the Chinese people, and to working out what he will do with the rest of his life," it said. It also dismissed the Tibetan government-in-exile as "essentially a separatist political group".

The 79-year-old Buddhist leader denies aspirations for independence and says he seeks "a high degree of autonomy" for the region.