Students in a boarding school in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region Photo: Shan Jie/GT

The so-called Tibetan "government-in-exile" is an outright separatist political group and an illegal organization that completely violates China's constitution and laws and no country in the world recognizes it, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday. 

His remarks followed claims made by the so-called leader of the Tibetan "government-in-exile" that an act on China's Xizang region approved by the US Congress "would pressure Beijing to negotiate" with it.  

Regarding contact between the Chinese government and the 14th Dalai Lama, Lin said that China's policy is consistent and clear, and the key is that the 14th Dalai Lama must fundamentally reflect on and thoroughly correct his political stance.

A bipartisan delegation of seven lawmakers led by Michael McCaul, a Republican representative from Texas, which also included former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, arrived in Dharamsala, India on Tuesday and met with the 14th Dalai Lama on Wednesday, according to Reuters. 

During their stay, Pelosi claimed that the US Congress' approval of the so-called "Resolve Tibet Act" last week sent a message to China that "Washington was clear in its thinking" on Xizang region issues. 

Former House Speaker Pelosi, who made a reckless visit to Taiwan island in August 2022, escalating risks in China-US relations and heightening tensions across the Taiwan Straits, also made a groundless accusation against China of trying to erase local culture in Xizang region following her meeting with the Dalai Lama, according to media reports.

Pelosi's remarks mainly referred to the issue of boarding schools in the Xizang region, which anti-China forces in the West and the Dalai clique have continuously hyped in recent years. However, the fact is that boarding schools in Xizang have placed great emphasis on teaching the Tibetan language and protecting traditional culture, Jia Chunyang, an expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

Over the years, these schools have significantly promoted the development of education in the Xizang region and have been praised by local students and their parents. Jia explained that a research team of the institute where he works conducted a field study in Xizang and other Tibetan regions in China from September to October 2023 and found that boarding schools are performing very well in all aspects. 

Local governments, especially local education departments, have invested considerable efforts and resources, achieving great success and high satisfaction among parents of all ethnic groups, the expert said. 

The separatist Dalai clique has recently intensified its collusion with American politicians, some experts said. Although American lawmakers pay regular visits to Dharamsala to meet the Dalai Lama, this year's visit is special as it came after the US House of Representatives passed the "Resolve Tibet Act" on June 12, which is expected to be signed into law by US President Joe Biden, and the Dalai Lama is reported to be making a trip to the US for knee treatment. Analysts said that both the US and the Dalai clique aim to use this opportunity to bring the issue of Xizang into the international spotlight. 

In order to provoke chaos in the Xizang region and use it to contain China, the US is plotting to escalate its interference in Xizang-related matters and is taking all measures to smear the Chinese government's policies in the region in an attempt to obstruct and undermine the Chinese government's governance, Jia said.

The recent moves as well as the act are clear signals that the US' playing of the "Xizang card" will become increasingly aggressive, Jia said, adding that China would also be prepared to respond, counter any external interference, maintain stability in Xizang, and safeguard its national interests.