Sarkozy incensed China by holding talks with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in Poland this month, prompting Beijing to scrap a European-China summit and threaten trade ties with France.

"We have noted that President Sarkozy has expressed his intentions to resolve this issue without renouncing European values," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

"I would like to say that we will not interfere in the values that others have adopted. At the same time we cannot accept using these values as an excuse to undermine the interests of other nations and peoples."

On Friday last week, Sarkozy told journalists he aimed to find "the means to have a calm dialogue with China," but "not at the price of renouncing our own European values."

"Having good or bad relations with a partner is not about letting oneself being told what to do," Sarkozy said.

Liu said China valued its relations with France, but indicated that celebrations for the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations next year may suffer unless Sarkozy can make amends.

"We have said before that the responsibility of the current situation lies with the French side," Liu said.

"We hope France will recognise this and do something to solve the problem in order to create the conditions to better celebrate the 45th anniversary and further promote the long-term, sound development of the strategic partnership."

China is against any foreign leaders meeting the Dalai Lama, whom it accuses of seeking independence for Tibet.

The Dalai Lama denies this, saying he only wants meaningful autonomy for the Himalayan region that China has ruled since 1951.

earlier related report
EU 'deeply concerned' at arrest of Chinese rights campaigners
The European Union on Tuesday expressed "deep concern" at China's recent arrest of rights campaigners including Liu Xiaobo, a leading activist famous for his role in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

The EU's French presidency, on behalf of the 27-nation bloc, urged Chinese authorities to provide "prompt information... on the conditions under which Mr Liu is being held and the reasons for his arrest."

Last week, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Liu was taken away by police, his wife told AFP.

His arrest came just days after at least two other rights activists in the southwestern province of Guizhou were also detained.

Chen Xi and Shen Youlian, who were organising a human rights symposium in Guizhou's capital Guiyang, were taken by police on Thursday, and another two fellow activists had "disappeared", according to people close to them.

All had signed Charter 08, an open letter calling for democratic reform in China.

"The European Union wishes to express its deep concern," the statement said.

The EU "calls for Mr Liu's fundamental rights and those of the other people arrested in the last few days to be respected and for the principle of freedom of expression to be observed in China in all circumstances," it added.

The arrests come ahead of sensitive anniversaries next year, including the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square democracy protests in Beijing and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Liu, a doctor of literature from Beijing Normal University, served 20 months in prison for his role in the Tiananmen protests and has been under police surveillance, in labour camps or house arrest for much of the time since.

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