PARIS 8 June 2009 (AP) — Paris' mayor has conferred a certificate of honorary citizenship on the Dalai Lama, in a move that could further strain France's relations with China.

Bertrand Delanoe has honored the exiled Tibetan leader with a ceremony in Paris' gilded City Hall. Paris' city council voted last year to give the Dalai Lama honorary citizenship, and Sunday's ceremony bestowed the award in person.

Last month, China's Foreign Ministry warned that any such move could spark a renewal of angry anti-French sentiment in China.

Beijing considers the Dalai Lama an agent of Tibet's independence from China and objects to meetings between the Dalai Lama and foreign leaders.

A December 2008 meeting between him and President Nicolas Sarkozy angered many in China.