With Tibetan exiles now considering whether to push for independence, China on Tuesday reaffirmed its hard-line stance on the future of the Himalayan region, saying that any move to separate Tibet from China was "doomed."

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman's comments came as more than 500 Tibetan exile leaders held all-day closed door talks Tuesday in India in their first major re-evaluation of their strategy toward China in two decades.

The Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, has long advocated the "middle way," which pushes for autonomy but not outright independence for the Himalayan region. But he has grown frustrated in recent days over fruitless talks with China.

The Nobel laureate called the weeklong meeting in the northern India hill town of Dharmsala, the base of Tibet's self-proclaimed government-in-exile, but was not expected to attend. He said he did not want to tilt the debate.

"Any attempt to separate Tibet from Chinese territory will be doomed," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a news conference Tuesday. "The so-called Tibet government in exile is not recognized by any government in the world."

Similar statements in the past from China have led the exiled leaders to question their own methods.

"The middle way approach has failed, it has not produced any results," said Karma Chophel, speaker of the exile Parliament. "In that light, the Tibetan public should come out with an opinion about what to do."

China has dismissed this week's meeting as meaningless, saying the participants do not represent the views of most Tibetans. The meeting follows this spring's Tibetan uprising across western China that was aggressively put down by Beijing.

Much of the debate is expected to focus on two main choices: whether to continue pursuing the politics of compromise or to begin a long-shot independence movement — a move almost certain to end talks held intermittently with Beijing since 2002.

Some factions are urging more protests, angrier protests, or more pressure on Western nations, with one very small group even pushing for sabotage of China's infrastructure.

Tibetans lack sincerity: Beijing

Samdhong Rinpoche, the exile prime minister, told the meeting Monday there would be an "open and frank discussion." He said the meeting may not lead to a new approach, and that any new path needs to have "the clear mandate of the people."

China insists Tibet has been part of its territory for 700 years. Many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of that time. China invaded shortly after the 1949 communist revolution. The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 amid a failed uprising.

Large numbers of Tibetans remain fervently Buddhist and loyal to the Dalai Lama. If the exiles choose a more confrontational approach, Tibetans living under Chinese rule would bear the brunt of any government response.

Any deviation from current policies was almost certain to scuttle the tenuous ties with Beijing, which has long accused the Dalai Lama of fomenting an independence movement. A strong anti-Beijing sentiment could play into China's hands.

"It seems to be a possible Chinese strategy to make the radical section much stronger," said Robbie Barnett, an expert on Tibet at Columbia University. "It would mean no contacts with China and make contacts with the international community very difficult."

The Dalai Lama's envoys to the recent talks with Beijing said Sunday that they had presented China with a detailed plan on how Tibetans could meet their autonomy needs within the framework of China's constitution.

The plan calls for the protection for the Tibetan language and culture, restrictions on non-Tibetans moving into Tibet and the rights of Tibetans to create an autonomous government.

Beijing said no progress was made in the talks two weeks ago, calling the Tibetan stance "a trick" and saying it lacked sincerity. Tibetan envoy Lodi Gyari said the Chinese failed to respond to "our sincere and genuine attempts."