Sydney, Oct 3 (DPA) Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was Saturday accused of kowtowing to China over his decision not to meet the Dalai Lama when the exiled Tibetan leader visits Australia in December.
Rudd braved Beijing’s displeasure and met the Dalai Lama in 2007 when he was leader of the opposition Labour Party but has kept him at bay since taking office after the November 2007 election.

Greens member of parliament Sarah Hanson-Young accused Rudd of cowardice.

“Mr Rudd needs to be firm and strong enough to have a meeting with the Dalai Lama,” she said. “The only understanding of this decision is his reluctance to upset the Chinese government.”

John Howard, the former prime minister who lost to Rudd in the election, met the Dalai Lama when he was the nation’s leader.

Rudd, then opposition leader, initially refused to do so but relented when Howard set up an appointment with the exiled Tibetan leader.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of promoting separatism for Tibet, while the Dalai Lama, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, maintains that he only supports greater autonomy for the region.