BEIJING -- Tibet's top government official on Thursday said the door is open for the 14th Dalai Lama if he wants to return to China and the central government has not changed its stance on this issue.

"It all depends on the Dalai Lama himself whether he returns or not. The door is wide open and he knows the central government's stance for sure," Padma Choling, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region, said at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing.

Choling said the Dalai Lama has not done anything good for the Tibetans since he fled the country in 1959.

"Whether he retires or not, the Dalai Lama is not allowed to sabotage the happy life of Tibetans." Choling said. "I am the chairman of the regional government. I am in the position to safeguard the happy life of Tibetans."