Beijing, March 23: China expressed harsh criticism Sunday of Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, in connection with unrest in Tibet and accused her of "turning a blind eye to merciless rioters."

She and other politicians were accused of double standards which revealed her motives and "those of her kind - their indignation is reserved for those occasions where their interests are best served."

Their intention was to serve interest groups "who want to contain or smear China."

The criticism was carried in a commentary by the official Xinhua news agency following Pelosi's visit to the Dalai Lama last week in Dharamsala in India where she had called on all peace-loving people to speak out against China's actions in Tibet.

Pelosi lost her own "moral authority to speak about human rights" when she acted as a defender of arsonists, looters and killers, the commentary added.

Foreign reportage of the unrest in Tibet also came under fire from both Chinese state media and online forums and accused several news organzations of manipulating the events.