BEIJING: China denounced a decision by the Paris City Council to bestow honorary citizenship on the Dalai Lama, saying Tuesday that the move was "another insult" that would harm diplomatic relations.

Anti-French sentiment has been growing in China ever since the Beijing Olympics torch relay was disrupted by protests during a chaotic leg in Paris on April 7.

Over the weekend, protesters waving Chinese flags rallied in front of the French Embassy in Beijing and at outlets of the French retailer Carrefour in nine Chinese cities.

Many Chinese consider the torch relay disruptions by pro-Tibet activists as an affront to their country. The Chinese government, and the vast majority of Chinese, consider Tibet an integral part of China.

But even as French officials tried to smooth over relations with Beijing, the Paris City Council, led by Mayor Bertrand Delanoe's Socialists and the Green Party, voted Monday to bestow the title of "honorary citizen" on the Dalai Lama.

Conservatives, led by President Nicolas Sarkozy, opposed the measure. Sarkozy has left open the possibility of boycotting the Olympic opening ceremony depending on whether his hopes for dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama are fulfilled.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Jiang Yu, said Tuesday that the move by Paris "wantonly interferes in China's internal affairs, seriously harms the relations between China and France."

The decision to honor the Dalai Lama will "only be considered as another insult against the 1.3 billion Chinese people, including Tibetans," Jiang said.

Beijing has accused the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader of organizing violent protests in Tibet last month to split the far western region from China, and of trying to sabotage this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing.

She urged France to "erase the negative impact of their erroneous action, stop indulging and supporting Tibetan independence forces."

Jiang's statement did not mention Hu Jia, a Chinese human rights activist who will also be recognized as an honorary citizen of Paris. Hu was recently convicted of subversion charges and sentenced to 3½ years in prison.

Jiang also criticized a meeting between a U.S. official and the Dalai Lama as interference in its internal affairs.

On Monday, Paula Dobriansky, an undersecretary of state, met with the Dalai Lama in Michigan to discuss recent anti-government protests in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, and in Tibetan communities in western China.

Beijing urged the United States to "stop indulging and supporting the Dalai clique in its separatist activities so as not to harm our bilateral relations and the image of the U.S. itself," Jiang said.

Dobriansky, who serves as the U.S. special envoy for Tibet, said the meeting provided a "timely opportunity" to discuss the issue.

"The Bush administration has expressed concern about the situation in Tibet and has urged restraint," she said. "In particular, President Bush has been a steadfast supporter for the need for dialogue between His Holiness and Chinese leaders."

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