Wang Donghua, Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China, on Sunday described the Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama as “a political monk.”
“Dalai Lama is a political monk and not a pure religious leader,” Mr. Wang told presspersons here in response to questions on the sidelines of a function organised to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of China, and the India-China Friendship Association, Karnataka.
Earlier, Association’s general secretary V. Bhaskaran said: “The Dalai Lama should be sent back from this country [India].”
Responding to Mr. Bhaskaran’s statement, Mr. Wang said: “Dalai Lama is not a pure religious leader. I think you will know his unviewed face…because...I quite agree with Mr. Bhaskaran that Dalai Lama should not be doing anything in terms of involvement in politics. Our stand on this has been consistent.
“Both India and China are not just neighbours, but brothers too. Both the countries are emerging superpowers and, therefore, peace in the region will benefit them and the world.” “We see India as a strategic partner in all aspects and not rival,” he said.
On a query on demarcating the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as one of the solutions to address the territorial dispute, he said: “Territorial dispute should not prevent us from working together in terms of strengthening economic relations.”
The economic strengths of the two countries are complementary, he said, and cited India’s power in information technology and bio-pharmaceuticals and China’s strong position in manufacturing.
“The territorial dispute between the two countries is an issue left over by history, from the colonial period,” he said. There was a strong consensus in the countries that it should not be an obstacle in improving relations.
Trade volume
Referring to the trade volume between India and China, he said the volume of trade was $34.3 billion during January-October 2009, a decline of 24 per cent compared to the same period in 2008. The global economic recession was the main reason for the decline of trade, Mr. Wang said.
The trade volume in 2008 was $51.7 billion against $7.6 billon in 2003, a compounded annual growth rate of around 34 per cent. Asked about the opening of a Consulate in Bangalore, Mr. Wang said he was not aware of such a proposal.
