Britain's consul-general in Hong Kong called for care in China's handling of a wave of protests and riots by Tibetans that the Dalai Lama's officials believe killed 99 people.

"For very obvious reasons, the Chinese government is going to have to handle it very carefully because it could be easy to get very wrong ... High-handed behaviour will not impress anyone," Stephen Bradley said in an interview.

China, which puts the death toll in Lhasa at 13, has accused the Tibetan spiritual leader of masterminding the protests - which started in a riot last Friday in Tibet's capital and then spread to neighbouring Chinese provinces with Tibetan populations.

The Tibetan unrest adds to the ruling Communist Party's headaches ahead of the Olympics, including the risk of social instability due to mounting inflation after years of breakneck growth and criticisms of the pollution levels in Beijing.

Bradley, who will soon leave his post of over four years, was careful not to judge.

Asked if the Chinese government has handled the situation well so far, Bradley said: "They appear to be trying quite hard but I really can't judge, it's too far away.