China anger at US visits

Pro-Taiwan demonstrators welcomed Mr Chen

China has accused the United States of "rude interference" in its domestic affairs by playing host to Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Beijing was "strongly dissatisfied and opposed" to Mr Chen's US stop-over and a meeting he had held with members of the US Congress, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao.

He's the president of a nation. He should be able to visit this country and be treated as the head of a nation

Wendy Chern
Taiwanese-American

"China has always opposed all forms of official contacts with Taiwan by countries with which we have diplomatic relations," he added

The spokesman also expressed concern at plans for the Dalai Lama to meet President George W Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington over the next two days.

"We call on the US Government to recognise Tibet as Chinese territory, stop supporting Tibetan independence and stop using the Tibet issue to interfere in China's internal affairs," he said.

New York crowds

Hundreds of supporters braved heavy rain to welcome President Chen Shui-bian to New York, at the start of his brief visit.

Mr Chen's visit to New York is unprecedented

The supporters, some from as far as Hawaii, waved Taiwanese flags as Mr Chen - the first Taiwanese leader to visit Manhattan - arrived late on Monday.

The visit coincides with an announcement that President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell will meet the Dalai Lama in the next two days.

The BBC Beijing correspondent, Rupert Wingfield Hayes, says the visits - by two of China's least favourite people - add to the perception that the new US administration is more interested in encouraging China's enemies than fostering better ties with Beijing.

The Dalai Lama has visited the US before

But the US State Department said Mr Chen's visit should not have an impact on Washington's ties with China.

His stopover on his way to Latin America is not an official visit, but it will have many of the trappings.

He has already met with a group of Taiwan friendly members of the US Congress and plans to meet New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. He will also visit the New York Stock Exchange.

Policy reversal

Beijing opposes such trips because of fears that they could drum up support for Taiwanese independence - China sees Taiwan as a province lost during its civil war in 1949 and has threatened to recover the island.

The Bush administration's decision to allow the visit - in effect a reversal of long-standing US policy - underlines its support for Taiwan in the face of criticism from China.

Many Taiwanese-Americans support the climate change.

"He's the president of a nation. He should be able to visit this country and be treated as the head of a nation," said one supporter, Wendy Chern.

Pro-Beijing protesters

But not all were happy to see Mr Chen, a group of about a hundred pro-Beijing protesters demonstrated near his hotel, shouting "unification, yes, separation, no."

The Dalai Lama is due to see the US Secretary of State on Tuesday and to have a private meeting with Mr Bush on Wednesday.

"I presume they will discuss our hopes to see a dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama and our desire to see Tibet maintain its unique religious and cultural identity," said national security spokeswoman Mary Ellen Countryman.

The announcement of the meeting follows the appointment of a new special American co-ordinator for Tibetan affairs - Paula Dobriansky - another move that has angered the Chinese.