China 'extending' its internal affairs

During this period, however, China has by no means lived up to its own standards. In the Maoist era, for example Beijing supported world revolution and called constantly called for the downfall of “American imperialism” and its “running dogs.”

In the 1960s and 1970s, China supported insurgent movements in Southeast Asia. Even as the Chinese government was pledging eternal friendship to governments with which it had forged diplomatic relations, the Chinese Communist Party was covertly supporting underground movements intent upon overthrowing those same governments.

It was not until the 1980s that such blatant interference in other countries' internal affairs finally ceased.

With the recent rise of Chinese economic power, Beijing appears to have widened its definition of what constitutes its internal affairs. Indeed, its definition of Chinese internal affairs increasingly seems to overlap with other countries' definitions of their internal affairs.

For example, Beijing calls on leaders of other countries not to meet with the Dalai Lama, whom it accuses of being a splittist, intent on separating Tibet from China. Last year,

it canceled a summit meeting with the European Union because President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, who then held the rotating presidency of the EU, insisted on meeting with the Nobel laureate.

Sarkozy insisted on his right to meet whomever he wanted, saying: “It's not for China to fix my agenda, or to dictate my meetings.”

The Chinese position seems to be that any government that accords any recognition to the exiled Tibetan leader is interfering in China's internal affairs.

This Chinese position extends beyond visits with government leaders. Beijing wants foreign governments not to issue visas to the Dalai Lama, even though the right to issue visas is intrinsic to a country's sovereignty.

Governments ordinarily issue or withhold visas on the basis of their own interests, not those of others.

But incurring China's displeasure carries with it certain costs. Last month, for example, China rejected a requested port call in Hong Kong by Japan's navy. The official China Daily cited visits to Japan by the Dalai Lama and the Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer as reasons for turning down the request.

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