At 10:00 am February 2, 2010, Tuesday, the State Council Information Office held a press conference, in which Mr. Zhu Weiqun, Executive Vice-Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and some other officials were invited to introduce the latest talks between the central government officials and the private representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama. Guo Weimin, director of the State Council Information Office press department hosts the press conference.

The following is the text record for this conference:

Guo Weimin: Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to today's press conference.

We have invited Zhu Weiqun, Executive Vice-Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, Sitar, Vice-Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and Nyima Tsering, Vice-Chairman of the People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region to introduce the latest talks between the central government officials and private representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama, and they are also ready to answer reporters' questions. Now, let's welcome Vice-Minister Zhu Weiqun to talk first.

Zhu Weiqun, Executive Vice-Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee at the press conference. [Photo/Tibet.cn]

Zhu Weiqun: Ladies and gentlemen, I am very glad to see you here. I am also pleased to see more reporters today compared with the press conference held in November 2008. Now I would like to brief you on the major situation concerning the recent contact and talks with the 14th Dalai Lama's private representatives.

Zhu Weiqun: The 14th Dalai Lama's private representatives, Mr. Lodi Gyari, Mr. Kelsang Gyaltsen and three other assistants came back to China and stayed from January 26 to 31. Du Qinglin, Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, had an interview with them. Sitar, Vice-Minister of the United Front Work Committee of the CPC Central Committee, Nyima Tsering, Vice-Chairman of the People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region and I talked to them for a whole day. We also arranged them to visit the late Chairman Mao Zedong's former residence at Shaoshan as well as the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hunan.

Zhu Weiqun: In his interview with the private representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama, Vice-Chairman Du Qinglin talked about the Central Government's successful response to the global financial crisis, the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC as well as the Fifth National Conference on Work in Tibet held recently by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. He pointed out that this conference established the strategic target for Tibet to achieve leap-forward development and long-lasting peace and stability. The conference especially demonstrated the brilliant achievements in Tibet in the new century and stressed various tasks so as to implement the "moderate prosperity" program in an all round way in Tibet, to ensure and improve the people's livelihood, to promote ecological environment construction and protection as well as Tibetan culture preservation and development. All of these show that the CPC Central Committee and the central government attach high importance to Tibet's socio-economic development and improved living quality of people of various ethnic groups in Tibet.

Vice-Chairman Du Qinglin pointed out that if the 14th Dalai Lama does wish to see progress made during the talks and improved relations with the Central Government, he should respect history, face up to reality and go with the times, and make a thorough self-examination of his words and deeds and radically correct his political propositions.

Vice-Chairman Du Qinglin stressed the following aspects:

1) The State's interests should not be infringed on. There is no room to talk about the issues concerning State sovereignty and territory, and there is no possibility for the slightest compromise.

2) The PRC's Constitution and the guiding principals should not be trampled on. The so-called "Greater Tibet" and "high degree of autonomy" obviously violate the PRC's Constitution. Only if they completely give up their separatist stand could contact and talks between the central governmentand the 14th Dalai side have a foundation and the 14th Dalai Lama have a way out.

3) National dignity brooks no vilification. Their contact and talks with the central governmentwill make no progress if the 14th Dalai Lama continues to engage in anti-China propaganda and sabotage activities in the international arena, a move that shows he lacks fundamental respect and sincerity.

4) Common wishes of people of various ethnic groups in China should not be violated. The people in Tibet cherish stable society, so any infiltrative and sabotage activities will not succeed. But, these activities will create obstacles for contact and talks and will make the 14th Dalai Lama more isolated.

Zhu Weiqun: In our talks with Lodi Gyari and his party, we first pointed out that more than one year has passed since the previous contact in November of 2008. This was the longest interval after we resumed contact and talks in 2002. The major reason lies in the fact that they openly declared at the "special meeting on the future of Tibet" held in November 2008 that they would cease contact and talks with the Central Government. Even in such a situation, the central governmentdid not shut the door to contact and talks, and, instead, the central governmentscheduled the contact and talks according to their request; this fully shows our sincerity and consistent attitude.