The standoff between India and China on the Sikkim border is not a very serious issue, the Dalai Lama said in New Delhi on Wednesday, IANS reported. “I do not think it is very serious. India and China have to live side by side,” the Dalai Lama said on the Doklam standoff at an event in the capital.
Speaking at the Rajendra Mathur Memorial Lecture, the Dalai Lama said the old slogan of “Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai” should be the tone for bilateral relations. “Even in 1962, Chinese forces which reached Bomdilla, eventually withdrew.” However, he added that “propaganda makes things complicated”.
The Dalai Lama said he likes India because there is freedom of speech in the country, reported ANI. “There is freedom in this country, I can do more and have more opportunity to share my views,” the spiritual leader said. “Where there is no freedom, I don’t like it.”
The Tibetan spiritual leader urged China to embrace democracy. “Our small Tibetan community fully practices democracy. I am an admirer of democracy. People are the real rulers of a country and free press is important to inform and educate people about reality.”
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