China cuts ties with Czech President Petr Pavel over his meeting with the Dalai Lama

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PRAGUE (AP) — China's government said Tuesday that it has suspended all ties with Czech President Petr Pavel over his recent meeting with the Dalai Lama.

Pavel met with the Tibetan leader on July 27 to congratulate him on his 90th birthday during his private trip to India.

The Dalai Lama has been living in exile in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959.

This meeting “seriously contravenes the political commitment made by the Czech government to the Chinese government, and harms China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said a statement by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman that was released by the Chinese Embassy in Prague.

“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 decides to cease all engagement with him.”

The Czech presidential office hasn't immediately responded to that announcement. The Czech presidency is a largely ceremonial but prestigious post. China is maintaining ties with the Czech government as a whole.

China views the Dalai Lama as a separatist. In exile, the Dalai Lama has managed to build a community that’s kept the Tibetan culture and identity alive and has become one of the world’s most recognizable figures while leading a Tibetan diaspora through their struggle for autonomy, and opposition of China’s control of Tibet.

Late Czech President Vaclav Havel was a friend of the Dalai Lama.