China says it hopes Mongolia learned lesson after Dalai Lama visit

China said on Tuesday it hoped Mongolia had learned a lesson and would keep a promise not to invite the Dalai Lama again after his visit in November led to a chill in relations.

The Dalai Lama is upheld as a spiritual leader in predominantly Buddhist Mongolia, but China regards him as a dangerous separatist and warned Mongolia before the visit that it could damage ties.

“The Dalai Lama’s furtive visit to Mongolia brought a negative impact to China-Mongolia relations,” Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told Mongolia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Tsend Munkh-Orgil by telephone.

“We hope that Mongolia has taken this lesson to heart,” he said, according to a statement posted on the Chinese foreign ministry’s website. China also hoped Mongolia would “scrupulously abide by its promise” not to invite the Dalai Lama again, Wang said.

The Mongolian minister was not available for comment but the Chinese ministry said he expressed regret at the negative impact caused by the visit and reaffirmed his government’s position that the Dalai Lama would not be invited again, first stated in December.