Beijing: China on Tuesday rejected US Ambassador Terry Branstad's call to Beijing to engage in "substantive dialogue" with the Dalai Lama, saying it was firmly opposed to "foreign interference" in Tibet and its internal affairs. Branstad visited Tibet from May 19 to 25, the first such visit by a US ambassador to China to the remote Himalayan region since 2015, where access is restricted for diplomats and journalists.

During his visit, he asked the Chinese government to "engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, to seek a settlement that resolves differences," according US embassy spokeswoman who briefed the media. "He also expressed concerns regarding the Chinese government's interference in Tibetan Buddhists' freedom to organise and practice their religion," she said. Asked about the US envoy's call for dialogue with the Dalai Lama, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told media here that Chinese officials had briefed the ambassador about China's religious and ethnic policies and also about socio-economic development in Tibet.