Dalai Lama Says He Prefers To Stay In India. Here's Why

Tokyo: Tibetan Spiritual Leader, Dalai Lama criticized Chinese leaders on Wednesday said that they “did not understand various different cultures” there and there were too many controls by the main ethnic group Han.
But he also said he did not oppose “Chinese brothers and sisters” as fellow humans and he extensively supported the idea behind communism and Marxism.

The Dalai Lama was 86 years old, took part in an online news conference anchored in Tokyo, answering questions about whether the international community must consider boycotting the Beijing winter Olympics for minority suppression, including those in the western region of Xinjiang.

“I know the leaders of the Communist Party since Mao Zedong. Their idea is good. But sometimes they do very extreme, tight controls,” he said from his base in India, adding he thought many things would change in China under the generation of new leaders.

“Regarding Tibet and also Xinjiang, we have our own unique culture, so Chinese communist leaders who are narrow-minded, they don’t understand various different cultures.”

Noting that China does not only consist of ethnic Han people but also others, different, groups, he added: “In fact, too many controls by Han people.”

China took control of Tibet after his troops entered the area in 1950 in what he called “peaceful release”. Tibet has since become one of the most limited and sensitive areas in this country.

Beijing considers the Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 after a failed rebellion against the Chinese government, as “splittion” was dangerous or separatist. He has worked for decades to attract global support for linguistic and cultural autonomy in his remote mountainous country.

Spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Wenbin asked the regular press direction on Wednesday about the relationship with the Dalai Lama, referring to “separatist political groups that came out and out”.

‘Smooth enough’

Dalai Lama said he extensively supported the idea of communism and Marxism, laughing when he told anecdot about how he had thought of joining the Communist Party but was persuaded by a friend.

When asked about Taiwan, the center for increasing military tension in the region, he said he thought the island was a true repository of Chinese culture and tradition since on land now “too politicized”.

“Economically Taiwan gets a lot of assistance from mainland China,” he said. “And culture, Chinese culture, including Buddhism, I think of Brothers and Mainland Chinese sisters can learn a lot from Taiwanese brothers and sisters.”

Even though the Dalai Lama said he had no plans to meet Chinese leaders, Xi Jinping, he said he wanted to visit again to see old friends since “I get older” – but will avoid Taiwan because the relationship between it and China “quite smooth” .

“I prefer to stay here in India, peacefully,” he said, praising it as a center of religious harmony – despite complaints from Muslims in recent years.

However, in the end, he said believing that all religions had the same message.

“All religions carry a message of love and use different view philosophies. So now the problem (is) politicians, in the case of several economists … Use this religious difference. So now, religion is also politicized – so it’s a problem.”