China summons US ambassador to protest Dalai Lama

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BEIJING, Oct 18 (AFP): China said it had summoned the US ambassador in Beijing Thursday to deliver a strong protest over the honouring of the Dalai Lama in Washington.
"Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has... summoned US ambassador (Clark) Randt to express strong protest on the behalf of the Chinese government," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
Liu said that Yang had sent a message via Randt calling on the United States to stop interfering in China's internal affairs and to take concrete steps to protect Sino-US relations.
US President George W. Bush Wednesday awarded the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Congressional Gold Medal-US lawmakers' highest civilian honour.
It was the first time a sitting US president had appeared in public with the Dalai Lama, who China accuses of being a dangerous figure agitating for Tibetan independence.