Amid extensive reporting that three Chinese tourists were brutally treated by the Swedish police, Swedish and Western media outlets linked the case with the recent visit of the Dalai Lama  to Sweden. The incident, which involved a man and his elderly parents, happened on September 2. The Chinese Embassy in Stockholm issued a complaint over the ill-treatment of Chinese visitors on September 15. The time interval triggered speculation that China was using the incident to vent anger at Sweden over the Dalai Lama's September 12 visit to the country. This is a groundless claim.

Why did the Chinese Embassy file the complaint nearly two weeks later? Chinese Ambassador to Sweden Gui Congyou explained it clearly in an interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. According to Gui, the embassy immediately informed the Swedish government of the detailed information they received from different perspectives and requested an immediate meeting with the Swedish police, but no response came for almost two weeks.

The Dalai Lama is on a four-nation tour of Europe till September 23. Sweden is the first stop. His visit has been exploited by Swedish media to slander China's human rights. TT News Agency, the Swedish wire service, claimed in a biased report that Tibetan people are discriminated against and cannot have Tibetan language education or talk freely about politics and religion. This was refuted by the Chinese Embassy promptly and directly. There was no need for China to make an issue of the police incident to express dissatisfaction.

The Dalai Lama has been hailed as a spiritual leader by the West. However, facts have proven that he is a political exile trying to split Tibet from China. His secession and sabotage activities have violated the fundamental interests of Tibetans and are unacceptable to the entire Chinese people.

The stance of China is consistent and clear: It firmly opposes any other country's decision to allow the Dalai Lama to visit and opposes any country's interference in China's domestic affairs by exploiting Tibet-related issues. But some countries still turn a deaf ear, taking chances to challenge China's bottom line. Sweden has received the Dalai Lama several times. The Swedish media also now and then point an accusing finger at Tibetan human rights despite the fact that the Tibetan people are living a better and more educated life.

Recent years have seen the Dalai group increasingly marginalized in international society with its separatist nature fully exposed. A growing number of Western countries have snubbed the Dalai Lama. It's hoped Sweden and the three other countries that the Dalai visits this time recognize the trend and follow suit.