China rejects US envoy's call for 'substantive dialogue' with Dalai Lama

Chinese officials had Briefed the ambassador about China's religious and ethnic policies and also about socio-economic development in Tibet.

China on Tuesday rejected US Ambassador Terry Branstad's call to Beijing to engage in "substantive dialogue" with the Dalai Lama, saying it was firmly opposed to "foreign interference" in Tibet and its internal affairs.

Branstad visited Tibet from May 19 to 25, the first such visit by a US ambassador to China to the remote Himalayan region since 2015, where access is restricted for diplomats and journalists.

During his visit, he asked the Chinese government to "engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, to seek a settlement that resolves differences," according US embassy spokeswoman