By Sim Chi Yin, China Correspondent

BEIJING: A day after their latest round of talks ended, China issued what some analysts see as an ultimatum to the Dalai Lama, stating Beijing's rejection of 'Tibetan independence, half independence or covert independence'.

The statement issued by the official Xinhua news agency yesterday calls on the exiled Tibetan leader to 'make fundamental corrections to his political propositions'.

Mr Du Qinglin, head of the Communist Party's United Front Department - which handles ethnic minorities and religious matters - is quoted as having told the Dalai Lama's envoys during their talks in Beijing that China's existing definition of 'autonomy' for ethnic minorities is 'fundamental', suggesting that it cannot be changed.

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