CHINA: The Chinese government may allow the Dalai Lama to return to China for the first time in nearly 40 years if he agrees to cease calls for independence, and Beijing could establish ties with the Vatican if it cuts links to Taiwan, the country's top spokesman on religious affairs said yesterday.
"As long as the Dalai Lama makes clear that he has completely abandoned Tibetan 'independence', it is not impossible for us to consider his visit," said Ye Xiaowen, head of China's State Bureau of Religious Affairs.
His comments made headline news in the government-run newspaper China Daily and are the boldest signal yet of increased dialogue on religious issues. Last month, the 70- year-old monk asked to be allowed to fulfil his dream of coming to China to visit Buddhist landmarks and witness the country's opening up. His envoys had conveyed his request to Beijing during talks in February.
However, Tibetan rights activists were cautious. They pointed to the timing of the remarks, which come just weeks before president Hu Jintao travels to Washington for a state visit.
President George Bush is a devout Christian and during a visit to China in November, strongly urged China to allow greater religious freedom.
"The timing is not a coincidence considering the summit in the US," said Yael Weisz-Rind, campaigns manager of the Free Tibet Campaign in London. "They expect pressure in this regard . . . We are suspicious about the timing and the prominence of the statement."
There are more than 100 million Buddhists in China and the philosophy is seen as less threatening by the Communist government because it is not an organised religion as such.
"On the diplomatic front, the Chinese are trying to promote openness, but there is no difference on the ground," she said. "We have no indication of any change in substantive policy."
The Chinese see the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist, who wants to wrest control of Tibet away from China and declare independence for 2.7 million Tibetans.
The Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and is based in northern India, insists he is a moderate who preaches a "middle way", which seeks special autonomy for Tibet within China, not independence.
Many Tibetans remain fiercely loyal to the figure they regard as a god-king, who fled the capital Lhasa in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
China will host the World Buddhist Forum later this month, the first international religious gathering since the communists came to power in 1949.
On the issue of relations with the Catholic Church, Mr Ye said Beijing and the Vatican have held talks about normalising diplomatic ties but that any progress hinges on the Holy See accepting Beijing's two long-held basic principles - the Vatican must break off ties with Taiwan and refrain from what it calls meddling in China's internal affairs.
"We can establish diplomatic relations with the Vatican very soon if the two principles are accepted, but is very hard for us to do so if the two principles are violated," he said.
What China fears most is the Catholic Church assuming a role in confronting communism just as the late Pope John Paul II stood up to Soviet communism in Poland.
According to Vatican estimates, there are about eight million Chinese Catholics who worship in underground churches, while there are five million who worship in 6,000 official state-sponsored churches. These are run by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, founded in 1957, which does not recognise the authority of the pope.