Miliband 'undermining Dalai Lama over Tibet'

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The Foreign Secretary was accused of undermining the Dalai Lama's talks with the Chinese authorities by updating Britain's position on Tibet.

Britain's stance dates back to the Simla accords of 1913 which laid down the boundaries between Tibet and British-ruled India.

At the time, London recognised China's "suzerainty" over the Tibetan region, but crucially not its sovereignty. Suzerainty is described as dominance or power through legal authority. The phrase has left some Chinese leaders believing that Britain still secretly harbours a wish to break up China.

Mr Miliband said the historic language was hampering Britain's relationship with Beijing over the aim for greater autonomy for Tibet, as well as respect for human rights.

"Our recognition of China's 'special position' in Tibet developed from the outdated concept of suzerainty," he said. "Some have used this to cast doubt on the aims we are pursuing and to claim that we are denying Chinese sovereignty over a large part of its own territory. We have made clear to the Chinese government, and publicly, that we do not support Tibetan independence."

Former governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten, said the Foreign Office had abolished a "quaint eccentricity", a move he believes was long overdue.

However, the timing of Mr Miliband's decision has sparked anger, especially following the crushing of anti-China protests in Tibet this year.

The Free Tibet Campaign accused the minister of "rewriting history" and urged people to write to their MP demanding that the Government back a fact-finding mission to the region to investigate human rights abuses.

Robbie Barnett, a Tibetan expert at Columbia University in New York, claimed the Government had weakened the hand of the Dalai Lama. He said: "This is more than a bargaining chip. This is the entire legal and political foundation for these talks."

The Tibetan spiritual leader says he is seeking autonomy not independence and the right for Tibetans to worship freely and maintain their culture.