China slams Pelosi for politicising torch run

Beijing: Furious at US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and some American lawmakers for "encouraging" opposition to the Beijing Olympics torch relay, China on Thursday said the were "completely losing morality and conscience".

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China's angry reaction came following reported remarks of Pelosi that the Chinese government had politicised the torch relay and extending her support to those who opposed the relay in San Francisco.

"Who on earth is politicising the Olympic torch relay. Who has agitated for disruption of the relay in San Francisco once and again? Isn't the truth abundantly clear," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said.

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She said "very few people" of the US Congress had "openly agitated (for)" disruption of the relay, disregarding the non-politicisation principle of the Games and "completely losing morality and conscience".

Jiang cited a statement from Pelosi's office which she said was "encouraging" opposition to the torch relay in San Francisco. The statement, issued on Tuesday regarding the torch's planned route through the city, praised "freedom-loving people around the world" protesting China's Tibet crackdown.

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The spokesperson said the agitation for disruption had "inevitably aroused indignation and condemnation of the whole Chinese people, home and abroad, and the world people with justice," according to official Xinhua news agency.

Asserting that the determination of the Chinese and the people in the world to successfully host the Beijing Olympics was "firm", she said "the very few" Congress members should immediately stop disruption of the Olympics and torch relay.

China’s reaction came before the US House passed a resolution asking Beijing to end its crackdown in Tibet and hold a dialogue with the Dalai Lama.

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