London: China has warned the organisers of the annual British Glastonbury Music Festival over inviting exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, a media report said on Saturday.
“China resolutely opposes any country, organisation, body or individual giving any kind of platform to the 14th Dalai Lama to engage in anti-China activities,” The Telegraph quoted Lu Kang, China’s foreign ministry spokesman, as saying.
Lu said on Friday that he was not aware of the details of what the Dalai Lama would be doing at the Glastonbury Festival.
He added that China’s position on the “international scuttling about of the 14th Dalai Lama to serve his political aims” was consistent.
China routinely criticises any country that hosts the Dalai Lama. In 2012, British Prime Minister David Cameron had to put his trip to China on hold after Beijing took offence at him holding a meeting with the Tibetan leader.
The Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit Britain again in September, just ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to the country in October.
Earlier, the office of the Dalai Lama said he would speak at the Glastonbury Festival during his trip to Britain. He would not meet any officials.