THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: China has indefinitely suspended minister-level meetings with Britain in protest at David Cameron's decision to meet the Dalai Lama.
Two government ministers have been snubbed on their trips to Beijing in the last month. Lord Green, the Trade and Investment minister, and Jeremy Browne, the Foreign Office minister, saw planned meetings with Chinese ministers either cancelled or palmed off on junior officials.
Lord Green, who was visiting China as the head of a trade mission, was reportedly unable to meet with the Ministry of Commerce or with the powerful National Development and Reform Commission, which sets a course for the country's economy.
"What has happened is that things that are normally handled at ministerial level being downgraded or cancelled," said one diplomatic source.
"In some cases the Chinese have said it was because of the [Prime Minister's] meeting with the Dalai Lama, at other times they said they were sorry but something had come up," he added. » | Malcolm Moore, Beijing | Tuesday, June 12, 2012
