By Shagun Mehta

Dismissing claims that China has changed its stand towards Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, the Chinese government today said that Beijing will continue to publicly denounce Dalai Lama.

"Our policy towards the Dalai Lama is clear and consistent, and has not changed," China's state bureau of religious affairs said in a fax.

"Times New Roman","serif"">Earlier, a Tibet-focused rights group and US-based Radio Free Asia had claimed that Beijing was planning to introduce some changes in its Tibet policy. Radio Free Asia reported that authorities in some Tibetan areas were allowing locals to "openly venerate the Dalai Lama as a religious leader but not as a 'political' figure".

"Times New Roman","serif"">London-based rights group Free Tibet reported that local authorities had changed their stand under which monks were forced to denounce the Dalai Lama publicly. It is to be noted that China misses no opportunity to condemn the Tibetan spiritual leader. Dalai Lama is branded as an anti-China "separatist" by Beijing.

"Times New Roman","serif"">The top religious authority of China reiterated that position today, saying: "If the Dalai Lama is to improve his relations with China's government, he must drop his separatist position...And stop making statements which damage the peaceful development of Tibet."