Washington, Oct 18 (ANI): United States Ambassador to China Gary F.Locke has publicly confirmed that he paid a visit to a mountainous region of western China, where dozens of Tibetans disaffected by Beijing's rule have set themselves on fire.
Locke visited two Tibetan monasteries on September 26 as part of a trip to western China.
The monasteries, which have not been involved in the 55 self-immolations across the Tibetan plateau since 2009, are in Aba Prefecture of Sichuan Province, the area where almost two-thirds of the Tibetans who have set themselves on fire lived.
"I went to Aba Prefecture to see it for myself," The New York Times quoted Locke, as saying.
"I was struck by the unique Tibetan culture and met many ethnic Tibetans to learn more about how they live and work, such as an 88-year-old monk at one of the monasteries I visited. Ethnic diversity adds richness to a society. I hope others will make the same visit," he added.
It was Locke's first trip as ambassador to a part of China where most of the people are ethnic Tibetans.
The publicity around Locke's visit could be seen by China as a sign of further foreign interference in what it considers a domestic matter, the report said.
According to the paper, an embassy spokesman said on Wednesday that the trip to Aba was not made in secret and was known by Chinese officials. (ANI)
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