China said it hopes that Mongolia has learned its lesson and will honor its commitment not to invite the 14th Dalai Lama to return after his visit in November led to strained relations between the two neighbors. Foreign Minister Ts.Munkh-Orgil spoke over the phone with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on January 24. Ts.Munkh-Orgil told Foreign Minister Wang that Mongolia considers Tibet to be an inseparable part of China under the "One China" policy and that the governing of the autonomous region is a Chinese internal affair. Minister Ts.Munkh-Orgil said Mongolia believes that mutual respect is the basis of the development of bilateral relations, and added, "The Government of Mongolia regrets that the Dalai Lama’s visit at the invitation of Gandan Monastery negatively affected relations between the two countries.” "The Dalai Lama's furtive visit to Mongolia brought a negative impact to China-Mongolia relations. We hope that Mongolia has taken this lesson to heart," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement published on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website. Minister Wang noted that China hopes Mongolia will "scrupulously abide by its promise" not to invite the Dalai Lama again. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying stated during a January 25 press conference that the telephone call from Minister Wang was made at the request of the Mongolian Foreign Ministry. Hua went on to state that Mongolia’s commitment to prohibit any future visits from the Dalai Lama is of "fundamental interest" to the countries and two peoples to ensure sustained and steady growth of China-Mongolia relations on the basis of respecting the One China principle.