BEIJING, Aug 27 (AFP) - China's official English-language newspaper issued a lengthy rejection Tuesday of accusations by the Dalai Lama and countries including Germany that Beijing is intent on destroying Tibetan culture. A signed article in the China Daily listed efforts by the Chinese authorities to protect traditional language and culture since "liberating" the Himalayan region in 1951, while also pointing to cultural elitism fostered during the "feudal rule" of the Dalai Lama. "While appointing officials, hiring workers, and enrolling students, Tibet gives priority to users of the Tibetan language," the article said, adding that Tibetan was the working language at all large-scale public meetings.

All work units, streets, road signs and public facilities are marked with the Chinese and Tibetan scripts, it said.

The Dalai Lama and pro-Tibetan independence groups have denounced Beijing for seeking to undermine Tibetan unity by imposing Chinese culture on the region and interfering in every aspect of religious activity.

They argue that the massive influx of majority Han Chinese into Tibet over the past decade especially in the Tibetan capital Lhasa has served to subsume the indigenous culture. The China Daily article, however, countered that during the Dalai Lama's reign, 95 percent of Tibetans were illiterate and that educational development sponsored by Beijing had opened Tibetan texts and scriptures to many more people.

At the same time, specialised teams in the 1960s made "systematic studies of Tibet's cultural remnants, ancient architecture, tombs and tablets and set up organisations to protect them." The newspaper also highlighted state investment in promoting traditional Tibetan medicine and restoring Buddhist temples.

"All the above mentioned facts show that Tibetan culture has not only been protected, but also developed since Tibet's peaceful liberation," it said. The report was the latest in a series of articles in the Chinese media defending Beijing's policy towards Tibet and reflecting official concerns that international lobbying by the Dalai Lama is beginning to bear fruit. In June, the German parliament adopted a resolution criticising China's record in Tibet and accusing Beijing of seeking to "sabotage" Tibetan culture, while an increasing number of governments have shown themselves willing to flout Beijing's anger and sanction visits by the exiled Tibetan leader.