China blasts U.S. over foes' visits

By staff and wire reports

BEIJING, China -- China has lashed out at Washington over allowing two Beijing foes to visit the United States.

Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, who China considers leader of a renegade province, arrived in New York Monday night for a two-night stopover on his way to Latin America.

Chen's visit coincides with the trip of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who China considers an irritant.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao reacted to the visits, saying that the U.S. decision has "grossly interfered" in Chinese internal affairs.

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He warned Washington against doing anything that could "further damage" the Sino-U.S. relationship.

Currently on a nine-day tour of the United States, the Dalai Lama is expected to meet with Secretary of State Colin Powell later Tuesday and U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday.

His high-profile meeting with Bush will occur on the 50th anniversary of what China calls the "peaceful liberation" of Tibet.

Gross interference

Chen's stopover is not an official visit, and he will not meet with U.S. administration officials. But he is due to meet members of the U.S. Congress along with New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Still, the Chinese spokesman said that just by allowing Chen onto U.S. soil, Washington was violating previous commitments only to have official dealings with Beijing.

Taiwan and China separated during the 1949 communist revolution. Beijing views the island as a renegade province that must one day rejoin the motherland.

Zhu called Washington's decision to let Chen make the stopover a sign of a harder U.S. line toward China.

"This act violates the commitments that the U.S. side has made," Zhu told reporters.  

"This act will inevitably harm China-U.S. relations. And the harm done is not something that we would like to see. It is something done by the U.S. side."

Chen arrived on Monday to hundreds of supporters who braved rain to wave flags and cheer. He will stay until Wednesday before continuing to Latin America.

His visit comes amid souring relations between the United States and China. Bush outraged Beijing by agreeing to sell Taiwan submarines and other advanced weapons, while Washington has condemned a string of arrests of U.S. citizens and permanent residents of Chinese descent.

The April collision of a U.S. spy plane and Chinese fighter also highlighted the growing tensions between America's global influence and China's own ambitions to be a regional power.

Separatist activities

Zhu also voiced anger over Bush's decision to meet Wednesday with the Dalai Lama.

China, which claims Tibet as its traditional territory, accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking independence for the Himalayan region.

"The Dalai Lama is by no means a religious figure, and (he is) rather someone in political exile who is engaged in separatist activities," Zhu said.

The Dalai Lama has said he does not seek independence for Tibet, but merely greater autonomy.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.