China's conflict with the Dalai Lama was purely a question of national unity and nothing to do with ethnicity, religion or human rights, Chinese President Hu Jintao said on Saturday.
He spoke after China again bared its teeth against foreign critics, denouncing the European Parliament's call to boycott the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics if Beijing does not start talks with the Dalai Lama about Tibet.
Hu's comments, reported by the Xinhua news agency, were among the clearest yet from the top echelon of China's leadership framing the Tibet troubles as an existential threat to the country.
"Our conflict with the Dalai clique is not an ethnic problem, not a religious problem, nor a human rights problem," Hu said.
"It is a problem of either preserving national unity or splitting the motherland."
Chinese officials have warned that groups campaigning for independence in Tibet have joined Muslim Uighurs fighting for an independent "East Turkestan" in the northwest region of Xinjiang.
Hu, who made his comments in a meeting with visiting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, also reiterated China's position that it was open to talks with the Dalai Lama, but that Tibet's exiled spiritual leader was blocking the way.
Hu said China was ready to meet the Dalai Lama provided he desist from trying to "split the motherland", "incite violence" and "ruin the Beijing Olympics".
The Dalai Lama has rejected claims he orchestrated deadly rioting in Tibet's regional capital Lhasa on March 14 and subsequent protests across Tibetan areas.
Asked on Friday night on U.S. television station NBC's "Nightly News" whether he wanted the world to boycott the Olympics this summer, the Dalai Lama, now on a visit to the United States, replied, "No."
