New Delhi: China’s Communist Party has failed in its efforts to change the minds of Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama said on May 19.
Meeting with the visiting U.S. Special Coordinator on Tibet Uzra Zeya on a rare high-level visit from Washington to Dharamsala – the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader praised the democratic freedoms in the U.S. and in India. The meeting discussed preservation of Tibetan culture and its importance for the world, said Penpa Tsering, Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala.
“China had completely failed in trying to change Tibetans minds. Meanwhile, China’s thinking is also changing rapidly, Socialism and Marxism have gone,” His Holiness said.
“The 14th Dalai Lama is a political exile disguised as a religious person and engages in anti-China separatist activities and attempts to split Tibet from China,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in Beijing.
“Tibet is a part of China and Tibetan religious affairs are China’s internal affairs. The U.S. appointment of a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues is an interference in China’s internal affairs. China is firmly opposed to it and has never recognized it,” said Mr. Lijian.
He said the U.S. “should take earnest actions to abide by its commitment that Tibet is a part of China and not supporting Tibetan independence.” “It should not provide any support for separatist activities by the anti-China Dalai clique,” he said, adding that “China will continue to take measures defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests.”
(Information supplied by The Hindu)
By Team TRC