31.   But the criticism, leveled by the Foreign Ministry, was accompanied by an invitation to U.S. officials to visit the Himalayan region and gauge its development.

32.   China is acutely sensitive to criticism of its often oppressive rule over the Himalayan region.

33.   China restricts access to the Himalayan region for foreigners, especially reporters.

34.   Chinese authorities have closely watched and occasionally harassed participants at the private forum, especially Tibetan exiles seeking independence for the Chinese-ruled Himalayan region.

35.   Chinese scholars of Tibet on Friday accused a U.S. congressman of lying about conditions in the Himalayan region to spoil ties between China and the United States.

36.   China claims it has ruled Tibet for centuries and has harshly put down calls for independence in the remote Himalayan region.

37.   China has kept a tight, often repressive grip on the Himalayan region ever since.

38.   China rules the Himalayan region of Tibet, where separatist sentiment is reportedly strong.

39.   China views the Dalai Lama as a supporter of Tibetan independence from Chinese rule of the Himalayan region.

40.   China will not grant Tibet the same autonomy that it has given to newly recovered Hong Kong, a senior Communist Party official in the Himalayan region said.