Bengaluru: Tibetan spiritual head the Dalai Lama has said that “some unique close relations” between India, Japan and the US, who believe in the ideals of democracy and freedom of expression, are “very important.”
“I often will be telling, in Asia, India is the most populated democratic country, which is very stable. Then Japan, the most industrialised and democratic Asian nation, and then America is the leading nation of free world,” he told PTI in an interview.
“Some unique close relations between three countries (India, Japan and America) are very important. Russia (is) difficult to predict,” the Dalai Lama added.
On the other hand, China is a totalitarian country, unlike the US which has a tradition of liberty, democracy and equality, he said.
“I admire not the American military and nuclear power. I admire American tradition of liberty, democracy and equality. China is a great nation and Chinese people are great. We really respect them and they are hardworking, but the system today is totalitarian in nature,” he said.
The Chinese people, through generations, have been suffering and the 1.3 billion people there had the right to know the reality and ability to judge right or wrong, the Dalai Lama said.
“Sometimes I feel, People’s Republic is fooling people. So, no longer is it People’s Republic.”
To a query on the US raising concerns over a China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), seen as a rival to the World Bank, the Dalai Lama said, “When matters concerning economic competition and world power play comes up for discussions, definitely America, which believes in a free society, is very important, I feel.”
PTI