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China Protests Against Switzerland's Tolerance for Tibetan Separatists
China on Wednesday expressed discontent over Swiss authorities' indifference when a group of locally-supported Tibetan separatists attempted to sabotage a celebration in a Geneva theater to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Switzerland.
"We are totally discontented with both the happening of these incidents and the attitude of connivance adopted by the authorities concerned," said the Chinese mission in Geneva in a statement.
During the disturbances, some separatists even lay in the driveway toward the theater and blocked the traffic and the entry of many invitees, including the Chinese ambassador and deputy representative to the United Nations.
The sponsors of the celebration, the Sino-Swiss friendship organizations, had requested the police to maintain order and traffic. But the local police sent there played a so-called "neutral role" by standing idle nearby and doing nothing when the separatists were blocking free passage, preventing admission and even threatening the safety of the invitees.
"We hold that this is a serious incident of undermining Sino-Swiss friendship and harming the friendly atmosphere in bilateral relations," said the Chinese mission. "Tibet has always been an inseparable part of China's territory. Advocating for or supporting independence of Tibet constitutes wanton interference in the internal affairs of China."
"The 'neutral position' adopted by the authorities concerned is in fact not neutral at all," said the Chinese mission. "Their position has not only protected the Tibetan separatists in carrying out splittist activities, but also severely impaired the right of those who support and work for the friendly relations between China and Switzerland."
The Chinese mission urged the Swiss authorities to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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