BEIJING: China said Thursday it was perplexed why foreign leaders continue to meet the Dalai Lama despite its protests, but that one reason was because they were being deceived by the Buddhist monk.

The Dalai Lama is lauded in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, but Beijing demonizes the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and says he seeks to destroy China's sovereignty by pushing for independence for Tibet.

"The question is very hard for us to understand," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said when asked why leaders of the U.S., Canada and Germany have met the Dalai Lama recently.

"That political exile, so many countries are interested in him. I think there are two reasons," Liu said at a regular news briefing. "First is that they are deceived by him. Second reason (is) because maybe they have something they want to do to China." He did not elaborate.

China routinely criticizes visits abroad by the Dalai Lam...

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