• By Tom Peterkin Telegraph Last Updated: 12:41PM BST 20/05/2008

The Dalai Lama arrives in Britain today amid controversy over Gordon Brown's failure to meet the exiled Tibetan leader in Downing Street.
 

The Dalai Lama arrives at Heathrow airport, London, to begin his eleven day visit to Britain

His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso will meet the Prime Minister during his 11-day visit but he will be received at Lambeth Palace, home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, instead of Number 10.

Critics have attacked the decision claiming that the Dalai Lama had been downgraded from a political leader to a spiritual leader in response to pressure from the Chinese government.

On previous visits, Tony Blair and John Major had met the Dalai Lama in Downing Street.

Mr Brown was accused of kowtowing to the Chinese leadership by Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet.

The decision has been seen as a reflection of the sensitivities of the Chinese authorities at a time when Britain has been making strenuous efforts to court the Beijing government. The meeting has met with disapproval in China.

The parliamentary group's report condemned the Chinese for "serious and systematic abuse of human rights" in Tibet.

Mr Brown defended his decision to not hold the meeting at Number 10, saying it was not about where they met but about which issues regarding Tibet they discussed.

This afternoon the Dalai Lama will receive an honorary degree from London Metropolitan University.

Later during his trip the Dalai Lama, who has been publicising the plight of the Tibetans for 50 years, will take part in a hearing of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

• By Jill McGivering, World affairs correspondent, BBC News 04:15 GMT, Tuesday, 20 May 2008 05:15 UK

The Dalai Lama is starting a 10-day visit to the UK. His tour comes against the backdrop of a tense relationship between Tibet and China.

The timing of the Dalai Lama's visit is critical. The violent protests which erupted just over two months ago thrust Tibet back into the international spotlight.

China is now also in mourning for the earthquake victims as well as preparing to host the Olympic Games, a matter of intense domestic pride.

As it takes its place on the world stage, Beijing is eager to avoid diplomatic embarrassment.

So those who argue that international leverage can play an important role in encouraging fruitful dialogue on Tibet see this as an important opportunity to apply pressure.

The UK, with its long historic connections to Tibet, may have a role to play. But the government knows too that political endorsement of the Dalai Lama always sparks angry complaint from Beijing.

Religious role

Former prime ministers Tony Blair and John Major each received the Dalai Lama at Number 10 when they were in office.

Gordon Brown is meeting him instead at Lambeth Palace, the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The move puts the emphasis more on the Dalai Lama's religious than political role.

It may have been an attempt to find a compromise - but critics say the decision will merely cause distress in all quarters.

The Chinese, they argue, will still be angry. Supporters of the Dalai Lama will be offended at this apparent downgrading of his political status.

Increased tensions

All this takes place as inside Tibet the situation is tense and security heightened.

Access and information are limited and there is increasing concern about an apparent crackdown by the Chinese security forces on Tibet's monasteries and general population.

The protests increased tensions between the Dalai Lama and Beijing. The Chinese authorities accuse the Dalai Lama of hypocrisy and accuse him and his supporters of instigating the violence, something the Dalai Lama denies.

A similar debate rages about what the Dalai Lama advocates for Tibet. The Chinese authorities see him as a dangerous subversive who is trying to damage China's territorial integrity by demanding Tibetan independence.

In fact the Dalai Lama advocates the so-called Middle Way, a more moderate solution which would give Tibet increased autonomy - including greater religious and political freedom - within a Chinese framework.

Man of peace

The situation is complicated by the vast perception gap between the public in the West and in China.

Many in the West are sympathetic toward the Dalai Lama, respecting him as a Nobel Laureate and a man of peace. There is concern too about the plight of China's Tibetan minority.

Just a few days ago, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tibet released a report which called for an independent UN investigation into the protests and the crackdown which followed.

It called on the Chinese government to provide more information about detainees, account for those killed and release those who protested peacefully.

Significant difference

But many Chinese people see things differently. They are frustrated with the Tibetan minority, accusing them of being ungrateful and of harming China's national interest.

Many accept their government's argument that the country has spent substantial amounts in recent years developing Tibet's infrastructure, economy and social facilities.

Many Tibetans admit there has been development - but complain that Han Chinese settlers have benefited most.

So what can the Dalai Lama's visit to the UK actually achieve? In the aftermath of the protests, envoys from the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government met and fresh talks are now planned for next month.

It is a fresh momentum dogged by suspicion on both sides. Sceptics say the talks are cosmetic, an attempt by Beijing to appease international criticism until the Olympics are over.

But others hail this as an opportunity to be seized - and say increased pressure from foreign governments, including the UK, could make a significant difference.