Beijing slams Canadian PM for Dalai Lama meeting

Beijing criticized Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's recent meeting with the Dalai Lama as "gross interference" in China's internal affairs, the South China Morning Post reported. The exiled Tibetan leader's visit gave the impression of Canada's political support for Tibetan independence and "has severely hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and will gravely undermine the relationship between China and Canada," said Sun Lushan, a political counselor at the Chinese embassy in Ottawa. The meeting was the first time a Canadian prime minister and the Dalai Lama. Beijing earlier denounced the awarding of the US Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama in Washington earlier this month.