Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama has spoken out against China on Monday, after a spate of self-immolations in the past week.

Speaking to reporters in Japan, the exiled leader said,

"The Chinese government should investigate the cause (of the incidents). China does not look into it seriously and tries to end (the incidents) only by criticising me".

His comments come after at least 7 reported self-immolations in the past week alone.

China, meanwhile, continued to criticise the Dalai Lama, with Losang Gyaltsen, vice-chairman of the Tibet region's government saying,

"The Dalai Lama clique and overseas Tibetan separatists have been sacrificing other people's lives for their own secret political aims".

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei also condemned the Dalia Lama, stating,

"To achieve his separatist goal, he associated with the Japanese right-wing forces. Chinese people despise him for what he did. We are firmly opposed to any country's providing a stage for him"

"Not only did the Dalai not condemn them, but he actually glorified these acts, which are against the national law and religious principles"

The self-immolations occurred during the Chinese Communist Party's leadership change with Free Tibet Director Stephanie Brigden commenting,

"Throughout the 18th Party Congress the new unelected leaders have been reminded on an almost daily basis of Tibetans' rejection of Chinese rule, and of the terrible failure of policies to cement the occupation".