US envoy allowed by Beijing to visit restive region
Move to allow US envoy's visit to place where Tibetans have set themselves on fire seen assign Beijing is being more open on ethnic issues
America's ambassador to China, Gary Locke, has visited a restive region in Sichuan where ethnic Tibetans have set fire to themselves to protest against rule by Beijing, the US State Department has confirmed.
Locke visited Aba county last month while on a tour of Chongqing and Sichuan aimed at boosting Sino-US trade and met some residents, including ethnic Tibetans, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in Washington.
Aba, home to the Kirti Monastery, has seen many self-immolations by monks and other Tibetans, with activists reporting 55 such cases since February 2009.
Beijing does not usually allow foreign dignitaries to visit Tibetan settlements, but Locke went to villages and monasteries to learn more about the lives of Tibetan people and to have the chance to talk to them.
The visit is being seen as a sign that Beijing wants to show it is being more open in dealing with ethnic issues.
A photo posted on Twitter showed Locke shaking hands with a Tibetan monk.
Nuland did not say how long Locke spent in the county and did not reveal his views about the trip, reiterating only that the US had grave concerns about self-immolations among Tibetans.