20. May 2009
China warns EU against interfering in internal matters
(AFP) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao warned the European Union at a summit in Prague against interfering in internal affairs, in a reference to past tensions over the Dalai Lama. "In conducting strategic cooperation between China and the EU the most important thing is to stick the principles of mutual respect and not interfere in each other's internal affairs", he told journalists. He also stressed the need to "accommodate each other's major concerns, properly handle sensitive issues and work to ensure that our balanced relationship will not be affected by individual incidents". Wen was speaking after a summit hosted by Czech President Vaclav Klaus, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.