China government confirms talks with Dalai Lama

Beijing: A senior Chinese Communist Party official has met with envoys of the Dalai Lama, the government confirmed on Thursday.

The confirmation is the first official statement about the talks this week.

The official Xinhua news agency said Du Qinglin, head of the Party's United Front Work Department, which deals with ethnic minorities and religious groups, had "met with private representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama here recently".

No other details were given.