While visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in Tokyo on Friday, the Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that the Beijing government is ready to talk with the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Kyodo News Agency said.

Yang also said that China is also prepared to offer Tokyo information on the current situation with Tibet, a region where inhabitants recently revolted for being treated as a second-class people by Beijing.

The Chinese Foreign Minister made the statement as a response to Fukuda’s call, who urged Beijing to disclose information on the recent incidents in Tibet and meet the Dalai Lama for discussion on that issue without any preconditions.

China had previously refused to do that despite similar calls coming from Japan and several Western countries.

Yang visited Japan’s Prime Minister during a four-day trip undertaken to arrange a visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao scheduled in the period May 6-10.

Yang’s statement comes after a period of tension around the world. Thousands of pro-Tibet protesters all over the world tried to stop the Olympic torch relay to make their point and there are fears that the Beijing Olympic Games will be boycotted.

The Chinese authorities have accused the Dalai Lama for being the mastermind behind the mass protests which started in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital.

However, the Buddhist spiritual leader has firmly denied such allegations. The Dalai Lame who is and always has been a promoter of nonviolence has proven on many occasions that he is not “a wolf in monk's robes”, as the Chinese government has labeled him.

In fact, His Holiness said he supports holding the Olympics in Beijing and, when discussing with the radical Tibetans about the protests, the Dalai Lama said they shouldn’t consider obtaining Tibet independence, but instead should live together with the Chinese.