TOKYO, Oct. 31 (UPI) _ The Chinese government has withdrawn two films from the Tokyo International Film Festival and is no longer sending its delegation to the event.

Organizers say today no reasons were cited but some suspect it is to express disapproval of the festival's plan to show the Hollywood movie, Seven Years in Tibet, which is critical of China's Tibet policy.

China notified the organizers of Japan's largest film festival of the decision by fax Thursday, two days before the 10-day film festival, the 10th of its kind, was scheduled to open.

The festival secretariat said it will not show the two Chinese films _ "Sun Bird" and "The Journey to the Western Xia Empire" _ because it is impossible to do so without Beijing's permission.

A spokesman the secretariat said, "We are perplexed because China has not said why it is canceling (the two films)."

"Sun Bird" was entered in the Young Cinema Competition at the Tokyo film festival, while "The Journey to the Western Xia Empire" was scheduled for showing in another section.

Tokyo film festival's organizers selected the two out of some 10 films, which the Chinese government listed for screening at the festival.

At its closing Nov. 10, the festival is scheduled to screen "Seven Years in Tibet," the story of the youth of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader who is the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.