The Dalai Lama on Wednesday said he is willing to visit Taiwan again whenever possible, adding that he hopes Taiwan could change China “through the power of democracy and freedom.”
The Tibetan spiritual leader made the remarks at his residence in Dharamsala, India, while meeting members of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce in Delhi.
He told the visitors that Buddhism is not just a religion, but also a philosophy and a science.
Photo: AP
Although the Chinese Communist Party occupies Tibet and suppresses its culture, the faith of Tibetans has not wavered, he said, adding that he felt the people’s fondness for him and for Buddhism during a recent visit to the Himalayas.
Asked whether he would visit Taiwan again, the Dalai Lama said he would visit whenever convenient once the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
He added that he has a deep impression of Taiwan from his three previous visits, and jokingly reminded the visitors to treat him to authentic Taiwanese food when the occasion comes.
When he was asked during a news conference in November last year about visiting Taiwan, the Dalai Lama said he had no plans to do so because Taiwan-China relations were “quite delicate” and he did not want to “cause local political difficulties.”
Although the discussion on Wednesday mostly covered religious topics, the Dalai Lama also praised Taiwan’s democracy and rule of law.
The crux of cross-strait problems lies with China, he said, suggesting that Taiwan use the power of its freedom and democracy to influence China.
On the topic of Tibet’s future, he said that he no longer seeks political independence, but instead “genuine autonomy” within China’s framework to preserve Tibetan religion, culture and ethnic identity.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of