French President Nicolas Sarkozy has sough to pacify China after his meeting with the Dalai Lama in Poland sparked angry reactions in the Asian country.
Mr. Sarkozy said Monday he has always considered China one of the world's great countries, but said it was his duty to meet with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader at an international event they both attended.
Mr. Sarkozy met with the the Dalai Lama on the sidelines of a gathering of Nobel Peace Prize winners in the Polish city of Gdansk on Saturday, despite China's vehement protests.
On Sunday, Beijing summoned the French ambassador (Herve Ladsous) to lodge a formal protest, saying the meeting constituted interference in China's internal affairs.
Beijing claims that the Dalai Lama seeks independence for Tibet. The Nobel prize laureate says he only wants more autonomy for Tibet.
On Monday, a lead editorial in the English-language China Daily newspaper called Mr. Sarkozy arrogant, and said that he would only have himself to blame for the consequences of his actions.
The commentary said China's government can choose whether it will purchase Airbuses or Boeings, but it cannot make consumers buy French brand names such as Louis Vuitton or goods at Carrefour.
Earlier this year, pro-Tibetan demonstrations on the streets of Paris angered the Chinese and led to a boycott of French goods, notably the French grocery chain Carrefour.
གཟའ་ཕུར་བུ། ༢༠༢༤/༠༤/༡༨