The Dalai Lama said he today he welcomes China’s offer to meet his envoy, but he wants serious talks to reduce resentment about Chinese rule in Tibet.
The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader said today he has yet to receive detailed information about the offer, but that he would not refuse any such move by China.
He said the two sides need to explore the causes of the problems and seek solutions through talks. He was speaking to reporters in Dharamsala, India, after his return from a two-week visit to the US.
Meanwhile, crowds of Chinese students waving red flags scuffled with pro-Tibet protesters in the latest leg of the Olympic torch relay in Japan today.
As rain fell in Nagano, the rival groups clashed despite the tight security in the central city, host to the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Four Chinese supporters were injured and three men were arrested, fire officials and police said, including one man who was wrestled to the ground after running into the relay path holding a Tibetan flag and shouting "Free Tibet".
Supporters wave Chinese flags during the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch
More than 3,000 police were mobilised for the relay, which comes a day after Chinese state media said Beijing would hold talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Buddhist leader of Tibet, whom it blames for recent unrest.
Japan was keen to avoid the chaotic scenes that marred some of the relay venues elsewhere ahead of next month's visit by President Hu Jintao, the first to Japan by a Chinese president in a decade.
Nagano Mayor Shoichi Washizawa read part of a United Nations declaration on human rights at an opening ceremony in a vacant lot, as crowds of mostly Chinese supporters watched from afar.
Around 80 torch bearers took part in the 18.7 km relay through the city, including the Olympic stadium.
One hundred Japanese police officers shielded the torch-bearers in two rows on each side, accompanied by two Chinese "flame attendants" in blue-and-white track suits, while pro-China supporters waved red national flags along the route.
Tibet has become a flashpoint for the anti-China protests that have disrupted the torch relay around the world and led to calls for state leaders to boycott the Olympic Games.
The flame, which travels next to Seoul, is meant to transmit a message of peace and friendship, but its journey has been largely turned into a political event and the torch has been granted the sort of security usually reserved for state leaders.
Commenting on the turmoil that has bedevilled the global relay, International Olympics Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge urged the West to stop hectoring China over human rights.
"You don't obtain anything in China with a loud voice," Mr Rogge was quoted in today's
Financial Times. "That is the big mistake of people in the West wanting to add their views".
"To keep face (in Asia) is of paramount importance. All the Chinese specialists will tell you that only one thing works - respectful, quiet but firm discussion," Mr Rogge added.
"It took us 200 years to evolve from the French Revolution. China started in 1949," he said, noting that was when Britain and other European nations were also colonial powers, "with all the abuse attached". He added: "Let's be a little bit more modest."