China 'acting like a child': Dalai Lama

22 Apr 2009, 3:47 pm   -   Source: AAP
Share This

The Dalai Lama has accused China of "acting like a child" in cracking down on Tibetans and other minorities.

The Dalai Lama has accused China of "acting like a child" in cracking down on Tibetans and other minorities, saying it lacked the moral authority of a genuine superpower.

The Tibetan spiritual leader told reporters in Japan on Wednesday that while China could boast military, economic and population muscle, it feared even small signs of dissent.

Addressing a Tokyo news conference on a stopover before a speaking tour of Europe and the United States, he said he saw China, "such a big nation, acting like a child".

He said the government routinely arrested individuals with different views, but stressed that "such a big nation of over one billion people (should have) no need for such sort of fear."

"One or two persons have different views, and immediately they are in trouble with the government. No. You're a big nation. You should have more self-confidence."

He said he believed that while Tibetans were poor but had openness on their side, "one weakness of the Chinese government is that it is not transparent, always telling distorted information."

The Tibetan leader said China was on the path to becoming a superpower and already had the "power of population, power of military and power of economy."

"Now the fourth condition to becoming a superpower is moral authority," he said. "That is lacking. Moral authority is very, very essential. Trust is key. State secrets destroy trust. That is the greatest obstacle to authority."

The Dalai Lama was speaking 50 years after arriving in Indian exile after fleeing China's crackdown against a 1959 uprising in the Himalayan territory, and more than a year after forces again cracked down on protesters.

Fierce anti-China riots broke out in Lhasa in March last year and spread across Tibet and adjacent areas with Tibetan populations, deeply embarrassing the Chinese government as it prepared to host the Beijing Summer Olympics.

Tibetan activist groups say thousands of people may have been arrested in the crackdown, and the exiled Tibetan government has said more than 200 were killed.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube