China has denounced a decision by the Paris city council to bestow honorary citizenship on Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, calling it an insult.
In Beijing Tuesday, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the gesture in Paris was a grave provocation to all of China's people, including Tibetans, that could damage the two countries' relations.
Pro-Tibet protests during the Olympic torch relay in Paris have triggered an angry response from the Chinese and a boycott of French goods and companies in China.
The French government is sending a number of officials to China this week to help calm growing tensions.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso will also travel to China for a two-day visit starting Thursday.