EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama proceeded with an appearance in Mongolia, despite complaints from the Chinese government.
The Dalai Lama is on a three-day lecture tour of the country, and Tuesday spoke from a sports complex that was built using Chinese aid funds.
Beijing condemns the spiritual leader as a supporter of violent separatism-- a claim the Dalai Lama denies.
On Wednesday, a Chinese government spokesperson said the Dalai Lama is using the occasion to speak poorly about China.
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN HONG LEI SAYING:
"The Dalai Lama always uses the opportunity of furtive visits to publicise Tibetan independence, smear the Chinese government and play up issues related to Tibet."
China has been accused by human rights groups of using its growing economic clout to pressure trading partners into refusing visits by the Dalai Lama.
Julie Noce Reuters