BEIJING: An enraged China today took an unprecedented step to postpone a summit with the European Union (EU), citing bad atmosphere ahead of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's planned meeting with Tibet's exiled leader, the Dalai Lama.

China has to postpone the 11th summit with the EU slated for early December since Sarkozy, whose country holds the 27-nation EU's rotating presidency, planned to meet the Dalai, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a terse statement.

The decision is made because the summit does not enjoy a good atmosphere, nor can it achieve expected goals, Qin said, blaming Paris and the EU leadership for the postponement.

China had paid great attention to the summit and made active efforts and lots of preparations for it, he said on the EU-China summit which was scheduled on December 1 in the southern French city of Lyon. However, Sarkozy made it clear that he would meet the Dalai Lama, Qin noted, saying the Chinese government and people were "extremely dissatisfied" with the French leader's move.

Sarkozy will meet the 73-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader on December 6 in Poland on the sidelines of a meeting.

In August, prior to the Beijing Olympics, Sarkozy had avoided meeting the Dalai Lama and had deputed his glamorous wife, Carla Bruni, to meet him instead. "The Tibet issue is related to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and it touches China's interests at the core.

We firmly oppose Dalai Lama's separatist activities in foreign countries in any capacity, and firmly oppose contact between foreign leaders with him in any form," Qin said. China views the Dalai Lama as a "separatist" travelling around the globe to drum up support for Tibet's independence.

Beijing has made clear its opposition to any world leader holding an audience with him — even in his capacity as a revered Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader.

China has in the past cancelled visits or talks with foreign dignitaries on the Tibet issue.

German Finance Minister Peer Steinbruck was forced to cancel his trip to China in December last year after Chancellor Angela Merkel met the Dalai Lama.

Qin noted that China has repeatedly told France that it has to "properly handle the Tibet issue so as to create necessary conditions for the China-EU summit." "Unfortunately, the French side does not actively respond to China's efforts of maintaining relations with France and the European Union," he said.

"China values the ties with France and has been making active efforts to develop bilateral relations. We hope that France takes the overall situation seriously and pay attention to and cope with the major concerns of China in an earnest manner, and creates conditions for the steady development of bilateral relations," the spokesman said.

He also said that China was keen to actively develop ties with the EU based on mutual respect and equal treatment. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in the mountainous region. After the successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics in August, China has hardened its stance towards the Dalai Lama and his quest for "genuine autonomy."

Beijing has repeatedly blamed the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner for the massive anti -government protests in the Tibetan capital Lhasa and other neighbouring provinces in March this year.