China is criticizing a visit to Israel by the Dalai Lama, saying the trip is a ploy by the exiled spiritual leader to promote Tibetan independence.
China's foreign ministry Thursday accused the Dalai Lama of trying to internationalize his attempts to separate Tibet from China.
The Dalai Lama's five-day visit to Israel comes as his envoys are in Beijing for closed-door talks with China's leadership on the issue of Tibetan autonomy.
This is the fifth time that Chinese government and Tibetan representatives have met since September 2002. The previous round of talks was held last July at the Chinese embassy in the Swiss capital, Bern.
The Dalai Lama has been struggling to gain some form of autonomy for his homeland since a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP