China vows to step up fight against Dalai Lama

China's leading official has reportedly announced the nation's toughened stand against the Dalai Lama and has vowed to step up the fight against him.

Yu Zhengsheng, number four in the Communist party hierarchy, official in charge of religious groups and ethnic minorities denied the speculations that the new Chinese leadership could take a softer line on the Dalai Lama, the Guardian reports.

In a recent clash between the Dalai Lama clique and the Chinese authorities, monks marking the Tibetan spiritual leader's birthday, were reportedly shot at by the police in Ganzi.

Though the Chinese foreign ministry claims to be unaware of the incident, it said that the Dalai Lama was using the opportunity of his birthday to promote his separatist agenda.

According to the report, Yu repeated the government's stand that any harmony in the ties would improve only if the Dalai Lama recognised that Tibet had been a part of China since ancient times and abandoned his Tibetan independence activities.

The Dalai Lama fled in 1959 after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule and has been staying in Dharmshala in northern India, traveling the world seeking support for the rights of the Tibetan people.

Yu further said that the Dalai Lama's 'middle way' aimed at achieving the so-called 'high-degree autonomy' in 'Greater Tibet' is completely opposite to China's constitution and the country's system of regional ethnic autonomy, the report added.