BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday urged Mongolia to keep its promise not to allow the ** Lama to visit the landlocked country again.

"China hopes Mongolia will learn lessons from the ** Lama's visit last month and respect China's core interests," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular news briefing.

Mongolian Foreign Minister Tsend Munkh-Orgil on Tuesday expressed regret over the negative impact of the ** Lama's visit on Mongolia-China relations, saying the Mongolian government will not allow future visits, even in the name of religion, according to local media.

"China attaches importance to the Mongolian foreign minister's explicit statement... China urges Mongolia to honor its commitment and make efforts to improve bilateral relations," Hua said.

The ** Lama, a political exile with ambitions to split Tibet from Chinese territory under the guise of religion, paid a visit to Mongolia on Nov. 18-23.

Tibet-related issues involve China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and are part of China's core interests, the spokesperson said, adding that China's stance on these issues is firm and clear.