中國歡迎英國承認西藏屬中國領土（China welcomes UK Tibet decision）　■BBC（2008.11.15）

中國歡迎英國承認西藏屬中國領土（China welcomes UK Tibet decision）　■BBC（2008.11.15）

中國統戰部（the United Front Work Department）常務副部長朱維群在接受BBC專訪時表示，中國歡迎英國承認西藏屬中國領土的新立場。
（A senior Chinese official has welcomed the UK's decision to recognise Beijing's direct rule over Tibet. ）
不久前剛剛結束與達賴喇嘛兩位特使會談的朱維群表示，英國的立場改變意味著目前英國在此問題上的立場與當今世界的「普遍立場」相一致。
不過採訪了朱維群的BBC國際事務編輯辛普森報道說，朱維群拒絕評論英國的立場改變是否與英國首相布朗希望中國加入新世界經濟體系有關。（But Mr Zhu would not say whether it might be linked with Prime Minister Gordon Brown's efforts to bring China into a new world economic order.）
英國外相米利班德10月29日在英國議會發表聲明，表示支持中國政府與達賴喇嘛的對話，以及支持以達賴喇嘛的自治要求作為對話基礎。（In a little publicised parliamentary statement on 29 October, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband gave his strong backing to the talks and also backed the Dalai Lama's call for autonomy as a basis for agreement.）
他在聲明中同時提到此前英國在西藏問題上承認中國對西藏有宗主權，但強調西藏從來不是完全屬於中國領土的立場。（Mr Miliband also referred to a historic agreement dating back to the early 20th Century, which acknowledged China's "special position" in Tibet, but asserted that Tibet had never been fully part of the country.）
米利班德當時表示，這一立場已經過時，英國和所有其他歐盟國家以及美國一樣，「認為西藏是中華人民共和國的一部分」。（Describing the policy as an "anachronism", he asserted: "Like every other EU member state, and the United States, we regard Tibet as part of the People's Republic of China."）
朱維群表示中國政府很歡迎英國的這一聲明，並說英國這是承認了一個已經存在的客觀事實。（"I think this is a recognition of an already existing objective fact," he said. "It has also brought the UK in line with the universal position in today's world."）