Beijing, China - The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, is out to destroy the Himalayan region by derailing its development and is losing his popularity among its people, China's top official there was quoted as saying by state media.
The Dalai Lama, who leads a Tibetan government-in-exile in northern India, says he wants greater autonomy, not independence, for Tibet, but Beijing has routinely dismissed him as a "splittist".
"All the locals want the current stable and sound situation in Tibet to continue but the Dalai Lama, judging from his words and deeds, wants to destroy it and make something different," Tibet government chairman Jampa Phuntsog told the Xinhua news agency.
"And the result is he has grown more and more unpopular in Tibet," Jampa Phuntsog said without elaborating.
The Dalai Lama has been persona non grata in China since he fled to India after an abortive uprising against Chinese communist rule in 1959.
In March, Tibet watchers said they saw signs the Nobel laureate and Beijing might be preparing for a new round of dialogue after the Dalai Lama reiterated his position of seeking only greater autonomy for Tibet.
China rebuffed those overtures and accused the Dalai Lama of provoking separatist activities, a line echoed by Jampa Phuntsog.
"The Chinese government's policies towards the Dalai Lama on the Tibet issue will never change in nature as far as the Dalai Lama's nature of splitting Tibet remains unchanged," the chairman was quoted as saying in the report, posted on Xinhua's web site www.chinaview.cn on Wednesday night.
China's drive to develop Tibet had resulted in economic growth above 10 percent a year for 10 straight years and rising incomes for farmers and herdsmen, Xinhua said.
Beijing has also encouraged majority Han Chinese migration to Tibet, which some ethnic Tibetans complain has resulted in growing economic disparity and damage to traditional Tibetan culture.
"We have every reason to claim that Tibet is at its best time given its speeding economy, solid ethnic minority unity and consolidated border defence," Jampa Phuntsog was quoted as saying.