Dharamsala, Jan 24 (IANS): China has been sending its delegation overseas to promote the propaganda on Tibet and to deter international criticism of its egregious human rights abuses inside Tibet, a functionary with the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said on Friday.

"China has been sending delegations abroad to promote its propaganda on Tibet. They are here to sell China's story on Tibet," CTA Secretary T.G. Arya said in a statement.

He rebuked China's state media report published last week which claimed that Chinese delegations are visiting over 20 countries, including the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and Belgium, "to introduce the achievements made by Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region in economic and social development, human rights and freedom of religion".

"In reality, Tibet has suffered greatly and is still undergoing a difficult time under the repressive Chinese regime," Arya said.

Earlier, US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its 2020 report listed China as "a global threat to human rights".

Arya said if China is really confident about their claims of progress and happiness in Tibet, they should allow foreign diplomats, UN rapporteurs and journalists to visit Tibet and verify the claims.

The Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing his homeland in Tibet in 1959. The Tibetan administration-in-exile is based in Dharamsala town in Himachal Pradesh.