A Chinese central government official said here Monday that recent talks with the Dalai Lama's private representatives were "frank and sincere," but serious differences remain.

Zhu Weiqun, executive vice minister of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at a press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council.

Zhu Weiqun, executive vice minister of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

Du Qinglin, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, met with the Dalai Lama's private representatives, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen.

Zhu, UFWD Vice Minister Sita and Executive Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region Pelma Trilek also held talks with them while they were in China from Oct. 31 to Nov. 5.

In talks held in July, the Dalai Lama's representatives said they had no problems following the "four not-to-supports" put forward by the central authorities, but they completely broke that promise, Zhu said.

The four promises include: not supporting activities that disturbed the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games; not supporting plots inciting violent criminal activities; not supporting and concretely curbing violent terrorist activities of the pro-secession "Tibetan Youth Congress"; not supporting any argument and activity seeking "Tibetan independence" and splitting the region from the country.

"They absolutely forgot to carry out their promise and did not stop boycotting and destroying the Beijing Olympics," Zhu said. "Instead, they intensified sabotaging activities and continued to attack the Central Government."

"They supported the 'Tibetan Youth Congress' and other organizations to publicly advocate 'Tibetan independence' and fanned or organized violent criminal activities," Zhu added. "They also continued to set up a claim to internationalize the Tibet issue, trying to make use of foreigners pressuring the central government."

"They continued to collude with such dregs as overseas democracy activists, 'Falungong elements' and 'Eastern Turkistan terrorits', trying to form so-called 'united front work' to oppose the Chinese government and split the motherland," he said. "All of these have caused the Chinese people strong aversion to their actions."

Zhu said Lodi Gyari presented a "Memorandum for All Tibetans to Enjoy Genuine Autonomy" after arriving in Beijing, declaring that the "Tibet government-in-exile is representative of Tibetans and their interests".

"For this, we pointed out that the Central Government of the People's Republic of China and the People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region represent of ethnic minorities in Tibet," Zhu said.

The so-called "Tibet government-in-exile" is a product created by a small group of separatists who launched an armed rebellion in 1959, but failed, and then fled to some foreign countries, he added.

"It has been engaged in splitting activities and sabotage for decades," said Zhu. "Its existence is illegal and no state in the whole world recognizes it."

"We talked with Mr. Lodi Gyari and his party only because they were the Dalai Lama's private representatives," he noted.

Zhu said the topics only focused on how the Dalai Lama should completely give up his ideas and actions to split with China and should instead strive for the understanding of the Central authorities and all Chinese people so as to solve the issue concerning his own prospect.

Zhu said a large numbers of obscure words were intentionally used in the Memorandum, showing that the Dalai Lama and his followers have not given up their consistent opinions to split with China.

Zhu said the so-called "genuine autonomy" and other requests mentioned in the Memorandum intended to set central leadership against the regional ethnic autonomy system so as to deny, restrict and weaken the authority of the central authorities as well as the authority of the National People's Congress in legislation.

"What's more, the splitting clique tried to change the Constitution so that it could actually possess rights as an independent state does," Zhu said.

He went on to say the Memorandum's title and contents referred to a "Greater Tibetan-inhabited Area" and "high degree of autonomy".

"They are exactly the same as 'half independence' and 'independence in a disguised form', which are not tolerated in the Constitution," Zhu said.

As for the request that "all Tibetan autonomous regions are integrated into one autonomous region" mentioned in the Memorandum, Zhu said Tibetan autonomous areas were established and defined according to the principles stipulated in the Constitution and on the basis of fully respecting history and facts and comprehensively considering political, economic conditions and reality.

"The so-called 'Greater Tibet' did not exist in history, nor does it have an actual ground," he said.

Zhu quoted the Law on the Regional Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities as saying that the boundaries of a national autonomous area, once defined, can not be altered without authorization.

When an alteration is found necessary, it shall be proposed by the relevant department of the state organ at the next higher level after full consultation with the government of the national autonomous area before the proposal is submitted to the State Council for approval.

Zhu said the private representatives of the Dalai Lama were neither "the relevant department of the state organ at the next higher level", nor were they "the government of the national autonomous area".

"Without a legal status, they are inappropriate to bring up the issue," he said.

Zhu said high ranking officials from central authorities told a delegation of the Dalai Lama in the 1980s that it was impossible to change Tibet into a country, to carry out a "high degree of autonomy" or to create a larger Tibet autonomous region.

"However, more than two decades have passed, they still use this trick to talk in a roundabout way with central authorities, which shows that they lack sincerity," Zhu said.

"Our contacts and talks failed to make progress and they should assume full responsibility for it," he said.

Zhu stressed that the unification of the motherland, territorial integrity and national dignity are the greatest interests of the Chinese people.

"We will never make a concession."

The official said central authorities said the door for the Dalai Lama's return to a patriotic stance had always been open and would remain open in the future.

"However, the door for 'Tibet independence', 'half independence' and 'independence in a disguised form' had never been open, nor would it be open in the future," he said.

This is the third talk between the central government and the Dalai Lama's private envoys this year. Previous discussions were held in May and July.

(Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2008)